A Bob-White Summer
by a.m567
Summary: This is a FanFiction about a Bob-White summer, filled with humor, friendship, a little bit of romance, and of course, a mystery. I hope you enjoy it; I think you will.
1. Summer's Here!

So; this is my first Trixie Belden FanFiction. I haven't read the series in quite a while, but I still love it and have read much of the FanFiction about it. I wrote this story about when they are still young during their summers, because I love reading about all the fun they have. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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"Gleeps!" Trixie exclaimed, her golden curls bouncing with happiness. "I can't believe the year is finished! It went by so fast."

"I know," agreed Diana, smiling in fond memory from her seat in the station wagon beside Honey. "The year was great."

Trixie snorted. "I'm just glad that its summer and all of those tests and exams are over." This caused a smile from Honey, seated in between Trixie and Di.

"And when summer's over, we'll be Seniors!" she squealed.

"I'm going to miss it, though," Diana contemplated. "We'll be a whole year older and closer to college." She sighed. "I wish we didn't have to grow up. I want us to just stay this age forever."

Jim turned around, poking his head over the seat to look at the girls seated in the row behind him and Brian. "Yeah, it will certainly be different. After summer, Brian and I will be in our second year of college." He gave a rueful smile, but then substituted it with something happier when he remembered he still had the full summer ahead of him.

"Well, my morose companions, _I_ think that we should stop contemplating on our pasts grievingly and instead look forward to the full summer we have bestowed upon us for the future months."

Trixie turned around in her seat to look at her almost-twin, who was seated beside Dan at the very back. "For once, I agree with Mart. His message, I mean; not his complicated way of delivering it. It's summer! And who knows, maybe we'll find something interesting to occupy our time." Her eyes glimmered mischievously. "It's never a dull moment for the Bob-Whites."

Dan smiled. "If by _interesting_, you mean some random mystery that you'll gladly drag the rest of us into, then sure; it'll be interesting."

Trixie huffed and looked at the dark-haired boy indignantly. "Dan Mangan, you know very well that you guys _love_ the mysteries. And they aren't random. They are actually quite useful- and they're fun."

"And dangerous," Brian added from behind the wheel. "You've been hurt way too many times to count. And you still think that they're fun." He shook his head, only half of his disapproval mock.

"Mysteries aside," Honey looked pointedly and Trixie (even though she loved the mysteries almost as much), "this summer is going to be great. We can have picnics, swim, and ride horses… so much fun!"

Dan grinned wickedly. "And I'm sure everyone will enjoy the company of their fellow Bob-Whites." He nudged Mart, who was already turning red in the face. "Especially Martin and Diana." He laughed at the mortified expression on their faces. They hadn't missed out on the endless teasing that came with the shift in their relationship last month.

"At least I can get a girlfriend," Mart huffed angrily under his breath, only loud enough for a few people to hear him; them being Dan, who was sitting directly beside him, and Trixie, who was sitting directly in front of him.

Trixie tried to hide her chuckles about Mart's comment on Dan's behalf, but couldn't help herself when she saw Dan's fake hurt face.

"Excuse me?" he asked Mart incredulously. "Did you just say what I think you said?" Mart just looked at him amusedly, the extra colour draining from his face. "You think _I _can't get a girlfriend?" The whole car chuckled in amusement. "I could get any girl I want, thank you very much." He smiled. "None of them can resist my charm," he said slyly.

"Is that why you're still single?" Trixie couldn't help herself from adding. Dan just smiled coolly at her.

"Of course not, darling," he said sweetly, as if trying to explain a simple concept to a three year old who didn't seem to want to understand it. "The only reason you three have evaded my charms is simply because I haven't bestowed them upon you." All three girls snorted at that. "I mean; you just aren't my type."

He looked at Trixie, "Too violent," he stated. "Too nice," he said, looking at Honey. He looked at Di and grinned. "And any girl who can fall for _that_ is definitely wrong in the head," he said, screwing a finger in Mart's direction. All three girls, and Mart, huffed indignantly, causing laughter from the boys up front.

"And anyway," he added with a gleam in his eye, "you're all taken."

He looked knowingly at the easily could-be couples of Bob-Whites, who were all blushing furiously. They were spared any comments about their not-so hidden feelings when Brian pulled up in front of Di's house to drop off the pretty brunette. (If hair that dark can be considered 'brunette'.)

Everyone gave their goodbyes, groaning when she leaned back to give Mart a peck on the cheek.

"See you later, Di," Trixie called after her. "And don't forget the barbeque tonight!" she added.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't miss it," she said with a smile, waving her final good-byes.

As the car sped off, Dan was happily left in the company of the unsuspecting victims.

"So, like I was saying," he started, causing many uncomfortable groans from the knowing Bob-Whites.

"Dan, please don't," begged Honey, followed by murmurs of agreement from others.

Dan looked at her with mock innocence. "What are you talking about?" he asked calmly. "I was just going to elaborate a little on my comments about how you guys were already taken; you know, by other male Bob-White members." He had to supress his laughter at Trixie's expression.

Honey was unfazed, though. "I, for one, have no romantic feelings for any of the male Bob-Whites, as it would be just like dating a sibling." Her eyes shined with the same conspiratorial gleam as Dan's. "However, I don't think I could say the same for my brother or Ms. Belden here." She nudged Trixie playfully, not at all surprised when her best, curly haired friend shot her a withering glare instead of being playful back.

"It's so blatantly obvious who Jim and Trixie's favourite Bob-Whites are," Dan agreed.

Trixie snorted.

"Oh please, I'm everyone's favourite," she blurted, causing an eruption of laughter from the station wagon. "What?" she protested, "It's true." She saw that they were all looking at her humorously, so she just _had_ to prove her point.

"Well," she began, "Brian and Mart are my brothers, so obviously they like me better." She looked at Mart for a second. "Except Mart, who might actually like a certain other female better than his own kin," she said, delighted when she saw him flush.

"And Honey is my best friend; so of course I'm her pick."

She looked at Jim. "I'm Jim's favourite because I'm the first one he met, and I'm the one who got us all to meet him, so that's just natural."

Finally she looked at Dan. "And of course, Mangan, I'm your favourite because I'm just naturally irresistible." She flashed him a toothy grin.

"Like me," he couldn't help but saying. Trixie rolled her eyes.

Dan looked at her questioningly, mischief written all over his face. "So, you've proved your point, I get it. But I have just one question."

"And what is that?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

He grinned an evil grin. "You said Brian and Mart like you better because you're their sister, right?"

She nodded.

"You said that Mart might be an exception, because he was madly in love with Di, right?" He grinned even more, and only partly because of Mart.

She nodded again, puzzled.

"Then shouldn't that mean that _Honey_ is Jim's favourite?" He smiled at her expression, knowing she was realizing where he was going with this. "Unless of course the case of Di and Mart can be applied in your situation as well?" He wiggled an eyebrow.

Minus Trixie, the whole car burst out laughing in response to Dan's logic. Except for Jim, but even he couldn't hide a smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Trixie said hotly. "Me and Jim are just friends. That's all, and you know it, Dan Mangan."

Jim grinned at her. "Just friends? After all we've been through, that's all I get; just friends? That's cold, Trix," he joked through a smile.

Trixie shook her head, though she couldn't stay mad for long.

"I'm kidding," Jim said to everyone. _Just so you don't get any ideas, _he thought. "You know we're just friends; it's not like that."

Mart grinned. "Because 'just friends' give each other identification bracelets," he said slyly.

Trixie turned beet red and put a covering hand over the silver bracelet adorning her small wrist. She wasn't one for jewellery, of course, but she still wore the trinket on occasion. How could she not?

"Shut-up, Mart, before I stuff your obtrusively large dictionary up your oesophagus," she snapped.

Dan whistled in surprise, and she also saw Honey and Jim smiling. She had practiced that particular line for when she wanted to shut her brother's overly large mouth up, which she had just successfully accomplished.

"That should be _down_ my oesophagus," he mumbled spitefully under his breath.

As they pulled up on the Wheeler driveway, they all got out. Brian, Mart, and Jim had some work they had to help Mr. Wheeler with, while Honey and Trixie were going to Crabapple Farm to finish up with chores and preparations for the night. When they got out of the car, they began discussing the plans for the evening and saying their good-byes.

"Hey, Trix," Jim said, wanting to catch the blonde's attention which had just been occupied by Dan as he told her a joke. She turned to the red-head, breaking away from her previous conversation with Dan.

Jim grinned at her, keeping his voice low. "Sorry about the ribbing you were getting in the car." _Like it was your fault, _Trixie wanted to say.

Jim continued. "You were right about the favourite thing, by the way." He winked, and then smiled even more when he noticed her speechlessness.

"See you tonight, Shamus," he said, tugging his favourite curl before walking away with her brothers towards the Manor House.

She was nudged by a grinning Dan. She blushed, realizing that he had probably heard the exchange. "I think _my_ logic behind the whole 'favourite' thing proved to be correct, did it not?" he asked cheekily, walking away before she could show her anger towards him.

She caught up with Honey, who was, much to Trixie's chagrin, waiting for Dan. He was going to come to the party later on, too, but was going to Mr. Maypenny's first.

"Are you going to Maypenny's now?" Honey asked the dark-haired boy as he joined them next to the stables, nearing the driveway of Crabapple Farm.

"Yeah, I'll have to be going now. See you guys later."

Motivated by an urge he simply couldn't shake, he decided to make Trixie turn beet red for the umpteenth time. He grinned at her and then winked, tugging at the curl that Jim had taken a liking to. "See you tonight, Shamus," he said, before nearly bursting into laughter and walking away.

Trixie's face was red, and she was absolutely furious with Dan Mangan. She hadn't failed to realize that Dan's little 'good-bye' had purposely been the exact same as Jim's. (Minus the authenticity.)

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**Please R&R! I love all comments, and there's no such thing as a bad one. I _live_ off of comments; they feed my writing. Because what's the point of writing and posting FanFiction if you don't know that people are reading? (Besides enjoying the writing.) :)**


	2. Volleyball in Dresses

**So, here it is. I'm sorry if I took long to update, but I try to do it as soon as possible. I hope you like it!**

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"Are you _sure_ it was nothing?" demanded Honey Wheeler, carrying a stack of plates to the tables outside alongside her best friend.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure, Honey," she said, not hiding her annoyance at her friend's constant questioning; especially since it was the same question over and over.

"I just want to make sure you're okay, Trix. You've been very… grumpy ever since we said good-bye to Dan. What gives?"

"It's nothing, really Honey. Sorry if I've not been very nice, but Dan just makes me so mad sometimes." Her face turned red again, remembering Dan's less than savoury jokes.

"Well, I've got to go and get ready, Trix," she said, "And you should, too; the party's starting in half-an-hour." She put on a slightly dreamy face. "I can't wait to wear the sundress that Mother and Mrs. Trask helped me pick out," she said excitedly, picturing the flowered dress she had bought earlier in the week.

Mrs. Belden came into the room, apron and oven mitts on. "Thank-you so much for your help, Honey," she said, beaming. "I really appreciate the extra hands."

"No problem, Mrs. Belden. I'm always happy to help. I'll see you guys later," Honey said, leaving through the door with a final wave.

"You go freshen up, hon. I'll finish up here," Helen said, taking a tray of glasses away from her fifteen year old daughter.

"Thanks, Moms," she said. With a peck on the cheek, she raced upstairs to her room.

Trixie walked down the stairs in a fresh jeans and t-shirt. She walked into the kitchen and checked the time. _6:25_. They would be here any minute. As she walked out of the kitchen, she heard feet pounding down the stairs. Brian and Mart came into view.

She looked curiously at them. "When did you guys get here? I thought you were still helping Jim and Mr. Wheeler."

Mart grinned at her. "Well, my absentminded sibling, we arrived at our humble abode nearly just as you ascended the staircase to your chambers. You must have failed to notice the arrival of your two _favourite_ Bob-Whites." He smiled mischievously, while Brian raised an eyebrow at the quip. He wisely decided to stay out of it. Instead, he maintained an amused on look to the conversation from the side.

He watched as Trixie turned red, flushed, open her mouth as if to speak, and then shut it like a fish just in time for their mother to enter the room.

"Boys, Trixie, everyone should be coming any minute now. Did you get Bobby ready, Trixie?" she asked.

"Yes," she said, letting a small sigh of relief escape because of the nearly avoided quarrel. "I changed his messy shirt, and I think he's outside, messing it up again."

Helen sighed, not responding to the amused chuckles coming from her eldest sons because of their little sibling's habits. She let them leave; following the call from their father to help with the barbeque.

She scanned her daughter's attire. She had heard the girls' conversation, noting the fact that Honey was going to be wearing a dress. "Trixie, dear, are you going to wear your jeans and t-shirt to the party tonight? Honey and Di will be wearing dresses." She didn't mind Trixie's choice of clothing, but sometimes she wished that her daughter would be more… girlish when it came to dressing up.

Trixie gave a small smile, as if reading her mom's thoughts. "Moms, it's just a barbeque. We'll be outside a lot, and I'm not going to be comfortable in a dress. It's not like we're having some sort of formal occasion, and nobody will care." Her eyes twinkled. "Plus, I bet half way through the evening when we want to play badminton or something, Honey and Di won't have as much ease as I will."

Her mom smiled at her. "Alright, dear, that's fine. I just wanted to make sure." She _was_ fine with it; glad her daughter didn't mind getting down and dirty. And plus, she thought, smiling knowingly at the flash of silver on her daughter's wrist, at least she was getting out of her 'no jewellery' faze.

They heard the crunch of gravel on tires outside, and Bobby's shouts combined with Reddy's barks gave them no doubt that their guests had arrived.

Trixie raced outside, followed by a smiling Helen. The Wheelers as well as Jim, Mrs. Trask, Regan, Tom, and Celia had arrived. Mrs. Belden gladly accepted a bowl of salad and a plate of devilled eggs from Celia.

As the adults went to the back where the tables had been laid out, the teens met, walking leisurely away from the Wheeler's car. Honey, true to her word about her golden sundress, walked with Brian on one side and Trixie on the other, who had Jim at her side. He, of course, was sided by Mart.

Brian grinned at Mart, his eyes twinkling. "So, Mart, when are Di and the rest of the Lynches going to be here?"

Mart flushed. "Uh… probably not very long." He looked at the group of Bob-Whites assembled beside him. "Why are you asking _me?_ You're as much of her friends as I am." Immediately he knew he shouldn't have spoken.

"Why, Mart," Trixie said innocently, "Are you saying that in fact you and Diana's relationship is the same as, say, Brian and Diana's, or Jim and Diana's?"

The rest of the Bob-Whites had to contain their laughter at Mart's embarrassment. Only Brian and Mart knew the reason for Trixie's teasing, though. Revenge. And she was quite satisfied with the reaction she had gotten.

"When's Mangan getting here?" Jim asked all of a sudden. They were just off the driveway and onto the lawn when they heard another voice behind them.

"Why, Jim, I never knew you missed me that much," the dark-haired boy said through a grin, which was amplified when the five whorled around to meet their visitor.

"Hey, Dan," Honey greeted with a smile. The rest of the Bob-Whites gave him a similar greeting as he walked towards him, with more or less with the same warmth.

Dan looked at Trixie with particular interest, since she didn't seem the happiest to see him. He smiled at her, tilting his head to the side. "What's wrong, Trix? You don't look very happy to see me."

She glared at him. "Don't pretend it's nothing, Dan Mangan. You know very well what it is."

"Yeah," said Honey accusingly. "Whatever you said to her before you left kept her steaming the entire afternoon." She batted her eyelashes innocently at him. "You wouldn't happen to know what that is, would you?"

Dan clucked disapprovingly. "Sorry, Madeleine." She glared at that. "Your charms won't work on this dark-haired Bob-White as it does on the other."

For the second time today, the Lynches saved the crew from having to give an uncomfortable retort.

As their car pulled up, the rest of the parents and adults came to greet the newly arrived visitors as well. Bobby ran up to the car, Reddy close at his tail. He barely gave room for the door to open; he waited anxiously for his best-friends to come out of the car.

As soon as Terry and Larry hit the ground, they went running away with Bobby, probably not to be seen for a while. They were followed in suit by the parents, who chatted all the way to their previous retreat.

The teenagers waited for the last member of their club to join them. She was wearing a lovely lavender dress than went just to her knees, dotted with a few yellow flowers and topped with a modest V-neck neckline, which left the sleeveless straps tied around her neck; something that one of the Bob-Whites seemed to notice in particular.

"Hi, Mart," Diana greeted shyly as she came to where the Bob-Whites were clustered.

He smiled warmly at her. "Hello, Di. How are you?"

She beamed at him. "I'm great, thanks. And you?"

"Quite fine, thank you."

They seemed to look at each other for a while, seemingly oblivious to the amused onlookers, until Dan cleared his throat.

The couple tore apart their gazes, colour rushing to their cheeks at the gleefully amused expressions on their friends' faces.

"Uh… What do you guys what to do?" Mart stumbled hurriedly, not wanting to face a round of jibes from his friends.

Everyone, not including Di, burst out laughing.

Brian decided to spare the couple, if just this once. "Well, I don't know how long dinner is going to take to start, but we could play a round of volleyball; the net's already set up."

And so the crew made their way to the back of the Belden homestead and onto the wide green yard. The adults were on the back porch overlooking the yard, so they all passed smiles and a few warm greetings.

As Trixie went onto the porch to grab the volley ball, she was greeted by the warm red-headed groom. "Well, here we are; Trixie. Just as smart as always, I can see." He smiled at her, seeming to be over his mood from riding in an actual automobile.

She looked at him with a puzzled expression as she took the ball out of the little trunk on the porch.

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

He grinned. "I see you cleverly decided that wearing anything less than a pair of pants would leave you incapable of playing something like volleyball. Smart," he said with a wink.

She blushed at the attention.

He continued, "I bet you'll have quite an easier time at it then your other female friends over there," he decided, nodding in the direction of Honey and Di.

Helen chuckled. "Don't encourage her, Regan."

He looked at Helen defensively. "What? I think it's a good thing. We can't have all girls wearing dresses all the time. Trixie is the perfect cure." He looked quickly at the on looking Bob-White girls. "No offense or anything. You guys look very nice, too," he added hurriedly. The girls giggled.

"Hey, Beatrix!" called Mart. "What is taking my female sibling such a long time to perform such a simple and miniscule task such as fetching the ball?"

Trixie rolled her eyes. Giving a short, mischievous look to Regan, she turned to the direction where Mart was standing, still looking at her.

With a quick flourish of the hand, she served the ball all the way to where Mart was standing, knocking him in the stomach.

Everyone, except a raging Mart, burst out laughing, and blushing, she received a round of applause from all of the parents seated before her and a high-five from Regan.

As she made her way over to her friends, Dan called, "She's on my team!" and came to stand beside her, flashing her with his signature bad-boy grin.

"Okay, then," said Honey as they all assembled around the net. "Dan, Trixie, and Jim vs. me, Di, Brian, and Mart."

"How are those teams fair?" called Tom jokingly from the porch.

Dan looked cheekily at the chauffeur. "Yeah; they're going to get crushed."

Honey shook her head, smiling. "Well, we have four and they have three, but we also have two people wearing dresses, so…"

"They're going to get crushed," concluded Dan cheerfully.

Brian looked challengingly at the former gang member. "Care to test your claims, Danny-boy?"

"You're on," he agreed with a disarming grin.

The players took their positions, Trixie in the middle and slightly forward, flanked by the boys on one side, and on the other team, the girls in the front and boys behind.

"Since we have one less player, we get first serve," said Trixie, picking the ball of the ground.

"No, we have two dresses, so we get first serve," said Di.

Brian smiled suggestively. "Rock, paper, scissors, then."

Dan grinned. "It's okay, let them have it. We don't need it." So with a sigh, Trixie passed over the ball.

Brian took first serve, smacking it over the net. Jim immediately bumped it back over, and it was set by Di. It would have gone over successfully, but she had struggled to raise her arms fully in her dress, resulting in it bouncing off the net back at her feet.

Many cheers went up from the crowd and the other team.

The game went on like this for a while, until finally it was eleven to twenty.

"Match point!" Mr. Wheeler called out.

The four-player team groaned, as they were nine points behind and it was the other team's serve.

Dan grinned at Brian. "What were you saying, Brian?" he taunted from behind the ball.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Just shut-up and serve," he mumbled; something Honey smiled to herself about. Brian wasn't usually known to use such uncivilized speech.

Of course, the serve made it over, but it was expertly returned by Brian. Jim tried to get a piece of it, but it ended only inches in front of the net. Before it hit the ground, Trixie made a mad dive a few meters ahead and bounced it over, landing it right in front of her on the opposite side of the net, which no one on the other team had anticipated.

Everyone on the porch cheered, as well as a pumped fist and whoop from Dan and a cheer from Jim. Trixie sat on the grass loosely, grinning at her success. Dan and Jim came and congratulated her, high fiving and praising each other.

"Great job, Trix," Dan said, smiling down at her.

Jim grinned at her, extending a helping hand. "Nice job, Shamus," he said, and for some reason, she blushed at Jim's praise as she accepted his hand and he pulled her up.

She brushed herself off, going to greet her friends on the losing side. All of them smiled at her except for Mart, but even he managed a bit of a grin because of the great fun he had had.

"Awesome hit, Trixie," praised Di.

"Yeah, that was amazing," agreed Honey.

"Thanks, guys," she said, beaming at her friends.

Mart came up. "Sorry if you guys were a bit uncomfortable or anything; I know it must have been hard playing in dresses."

Trixie rolled her eyes light-heartedly. "Good game to you, too," she said with a raised eyebrow. Her brother flushed and then gave her a quick smile and praise before moving on.

"Don't mind him," started Di. "His pride's been wounded, that's all."

Trixie smiled. "I really don't know what you see in him," she teased, and was rewarded by a pretty blush.

Soon, the group had cooled down and with Mrs. Belden's call for dinner, the group collected, plates in hand, ready for an amazing meal. After all, they had worked up quite an appetite.

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**How was it? I can't wait for the next chapter; it's going to be full of humor, drama, and maybe a bit of romance. R&R- there's this really useful box bellow that makes the reader want to write faster; use it. :)**


	3. Dinner Table Drama

**I hope you enjoy it! I worked hard on this chapter; but I don't know how you'll like it. I kept thinking about this scene over and over, but I couldn't remember everything the way I like it when I was writing it. **

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The late summer sun hang lazily over Crab Apple Farm, a soft breeze whistling through the trees, the air warm and comfortable. The large group of friends assembled at the happy cottage began seating themselves for dinner.

At the long row of festively decorated picnic tables, Trixie found herself seated near the left end, with Jim on her right and Regan on her left, looking over the bright grass that they had recently been playing on. Across from her, engaged in a small, meaningless conversation with the blond boy on her left, was Diana. Honey was in between Mart and the dark-haired Brian, who was exchanging a brief drabble with a boy of the same coloured hair seated across from him, beside Jim.

Regan, Tom, Celia, and Mrs. Belden made up the right side of the row on Trixie's side of the table. Mr. Lynch was seated next to his gorgeous daughter; and he and his wife, who was seated next to him, were giving an amused attention to their daughter and her partner; a conversation which Trixie had very little interest in.

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, the latter seated beside Mrs. Lynch, were talking with Helen and Peter (who was beside Mr. Wheeler) about the state of the banking system.

Trixie felt herself smile at her family and closest friends. She loved all of them; every single one of them. They all made her smile, her thoughts greatly centred on the memories and laughs she had shared with the happy group.

She was broken from her thoughts by a conversation that seemed to be starting across the whole table.

"That was quite the game of volleyball you guys played," commented Tom.

"Yeah," agreed Mr. Wheeler. "It was quite entertaining."

Mrs. Wheeler looked at the youngsters across the table, and in particular, Trixie's direction.

"Yes; you guys were very good." She focused on the curly-haired girl seated between the two red-heads. "Where did you learn to play like that, Trixie?" she asked curiously, her gentle nature shining through her subtle tone.

Trixie tried to hide a flush as all eyes turned in her direction. "Well, when I was younger, I played a lot with Brian and Mart. They actually taught me how to play."

Her brothers grinned at her.

"Yes; your skills are solely based off of our talents that we were kind enough to teach you," said Mart, earning an eye roll from Trixie.

"It's kind of ironic, isn't it?" started Di, in Trixie's favour. "The student ends up better than the teachers."

Mart huffed indignantly. "She is not better than us in any way. The effortless logic behind her winning was a simple formula, equally balanced between skill that just matches ours and pure luck, and with their obvious advantage," he said, referring to his team's dress clad players, "their team won. Not at all because their skills outmatched ours."

Most of the occupants of the table were trying not to laugh at Mart's argument. "Of course, Mart," said Regan agreeably. "The fact that they had almost twice the amount of points than you had nothing to do with their skill, whatsoever."

This caused laughter from everyone that wasn't Mart.

Dan finally broke through the speech lapse at the end of the laughter. "I'm surprised that Trixie and the boys were that close," he observed. "It doesn't seem like they spend that much time with each other when they aren't with the rest of us." Many heads nodded in agreement.

"Well, things _have_ changed since a few years ago. When we were younger we actually did quite a few things together," told Brian.

"Yes," said Mart. "Part of the reason why we've not bonded in such a way recently is that we've had… quite a few people that have taken her away from her loving siblings." He put his hand on his chin as if to ponder. "I think I remember the arrival of a certain brown haired girl being a very large factor in our parting." He cast an accusing yet friendly glance in Honey's direction.

Honey looked around innocently. "Me?" she asked disbelievingly. Her eyes twinkled. "I don't think I impacted her life any more than the arrival of a certain red-head," she said slyly, looking mischievously at her adopted brother and best friend; both of which were sitting beside each other. Trixie blushed, knowing very well the point that Honey was trying to make.

"Yes, yes," Regan acknowledged. "Sorry if you've been deprived of her company; but I just can't help it if she chooses to spend all of her spare time with me and my horses," he said, earning a roar of laughter from everyone. Trixie heaved a small sigh of relief at the narrowly avoided topic. It wasn't something she thought of often, even for herself. Whenever the topic came up, she tried to push her conflicting thoughts to the back of her head.

"Ah, yes," started Mart. "Although my younger female sibling _does_ seem to spend quite a bit of time with _you_, Regan, I believe Honey was referring to a different red-head." He looked at the two friends sitting beside each other, and smiled naughtily. "One that Trixie seems to have taken a fancy to," he drawled, and was then promptly greeted by a swift kick in the shin.

"Mart!" Trixie gasped at her brother exasperatedly, giving him a pointed look. He rubbed his shin and looked back at the person that had delivered the kick, pouting.

"Mart," Helen said sternly. "Don't tease your sister like that. And I'm sure Jim doesn't appreciate it either."

He grinned down the table at his mother. "How do you know I was talking about Jim?" he asked challengingly.

Helen rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Well, unless you are hinting that your sister has feelings for Regan or Mr. Wheeler, there is only one person you can be talking about."

"Well," said Mr. Wheeler, "I don't blame her. I _am_ extremely attractive." He looked pointedly at his wife. Mrs. Wheeler rolled her eyes, supressing a smile.

Honey, sensing her friend's discomfort, promptly changed the subject. (Even though she enjoyed teasing her best friend about her brother almost as much as everyone else.)

"Can you believe that the year is over?" she asked suddenly. "It seems like it started not long ago."

Di nodded her head in agreement. "And then next year, we'll be in _high school_. Can you believe it?"

Mrs. Lynch looked fondly at her daughter. "Yes; our children our growing up so fast," she said, her voice tinged with sadness. She exchanged knowing looks with the parents on her end of the table. None of them weren't at least a little sad about the aging of their children.

Just as the mood was starting to become a bit melancholy, the three young boys that had grabbed their food and disappeared reappeared noisily from around the corner.

Heads spun in their direction as they came zooming onto the porch, smiles lighting their faces, hair sticking to their foreheads with perspiration.

"Whoa, there," Mr. Belden said haltingly as Bobby came rushing towards him, looking excitedly at Terry as the twin came slowly towards him, out of breath. "What's with the rush, kiddo?" he asked his youngest child.

He barely regarded his father as he spoke, his eyes trained expectantly on each twin as they circled the table in his direction. "We're playing tag," he said breathlessly. "Terry and Larry are it and they have to catch me, but I'm too fast for them."

The matter-of-fact tone he used caused laughter from the amused spectators finishing up their dinner.

The little boy looked wonderingly at them. "What?" he asked curiously, frowning at the older people.

In his moment of distraction, Larry came buzzing around the table, smacking Bobby in the arm with a chubby palm. "You're it!" he shouted gleefully, running away from his friend. Bobby watched in shock as the twins ran away, and then after a moment of thought, raced after them, not sparing a glance at anyone seated at the table.

Mrs. Wheeler smiled. "They are so cute," she said to the parents of the little boys, shaking her head good-naturedly.

Peter smiled. "He reminds me quite a bit of Trixie and Mart when they were younger. They just couldn't stay still for a minute."

Mrs. Lynch looked at the teenagers, a mixture of pride and sadness in her expression. "And now you're all grown up, and more complicated." She looked at the other mothers that the table. "I don't know what it's like raising a teenaged boy, but I think girls are just as difficult." She smiled at her daughter. "They start caring more about things they didn't think about when they were younger; their futures, school, social life, wardrobe, boys—"

Trixie and Honey couldn't help but chuckle at her last point, while Diana only found her mother's words worth blushing. Trixie smiled. "Mrs. Lynch, I think that only one out of us three girls has fallen into _that_ trap."

"I'm glad," Peter whispered to Matthew, who promptly agreed. Boys were the last thing they wanted their daughters thinking about.

The conversation continued uninterrupted at the teens' end of the table, oblivious to the words spoken between the two men.

"Oh really?" Mart asked his sister, raising a challenging eyebrow at her statement.

She tried not to blush. "Of course. Me and Honey are perfectly fine with our relationship statuses." She looked at Honey, changing her mind. "Well, at least _I'm_ happy; I can't speak for Ms. Wheeler over there." She pointed her chin across the table in Honey's direction, who promptly shook her head, hands raised in surrender.

"Oh, I'm on Trixie's side for that one. I'm not interested in any romantic relationship, thank you very much."

Dan smiled wickedly. "I don't believe either of you," he said dismissively.

Celia looked all the way at the end of the table to the boy seated at the last seat. "Why do you say that, Dan?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Oh, it's just so obvious that they have certain…" he paused to think of a proper word, "…interests," he decided smugly, "of their own." He smiled easily at the girls.

Both girls in question glared at the handsome boy, being two of the few girls not caring in the least about his good-looks.

"Dan Mangan, you…" Honey couldn't come up with an appropriate word, and so decided to remain in a stubborn silence with Trixie, glaring.

It didn't help the girls' situations when the entire table started laughing at them.

"Okay, Honey, I agree," Dan relented with a small, defeated bow of the head; something Trixie thought was a bit too abrupt.

"It's only Trixie," he dead-panned with a grin, conforming Trixie's suspicion.

"What?" she spewed incredulously, almost choking on the chicken she had taken a bite of.

"Oh, come on, Trix," Dan said with a lazy smile, "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

The adults cast an amused look in Trixie's direction.

She shook her head furiously. "No, I don't! Stop assuming that…" she faltered.

Dan raised an eyebrow. "That what?"

Surprisingly to everyone at the table, Trixie didn't retort something back snappily. Instead, she turned calmly away from where she was leaning behind Jim (who was watching the events unfold quietly) and sat forward, arms crossed, a steely expression on her face.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," she said, repeating his words calmly.

"Oh, look, Dan," scolded Honey crossly, looking concernedly at her best friend. "Apologize! You really shouldn't tease her so much."

Giving her friend a grateful look, she slowly uncrossed her arms and looked hesitantly at Dan. When she finally faced him fully, he gave her a smile. "You know I'm kidding, Trix. I don't actually mean it."

_Of course you do_, she thought, but slowly, she returned his smile.

"Really, Dan," said Mart, rolling his eyes. "You don't need to apologize for stating the obvious." He gave his sister a mischievous grin, which she returned with a glare full of rage.

"What are you talking about, Mart?" Trixie asked tiredly, but with a certain edge to her voice.

"Oh, Trixie, dear sister," he said sweetly. "I'm just stating the obvious. When you said that you hadn't fallen into the 'boy' trap, the rest of us knew very well you were lying." He looked at her, carefully awaiting her response.

She just stared at him disbelievingly. She knew that everyone was staring at them, some amused, others uncomfortable, and maybe a few sorry for her. But she didn't care. She wanted to see how far he would dare to go. Everyone had implied it; but she wanted to see if he'd actually cross the line.

She was incredibly surprised.

Instead of continuing on and accusing her of her feelings for a certain someone, he just smiled steadily at her. "But, since you already know what I'm talking about, and it would be pointless to state something that everyone already knows," he looked at the curiously anxious faces that were taking in his every word, "I will save you the embarrassment that would undoubtedly come with me stating what we all have yet to say in a completely unveiled sentence."

Trixie was shocked. She was almost certain that her brother would say something absurd about her liking one of the Bob-Whites; resulting in a large, unwelcomed fight. No one needed a fight. The evening's so far festive mood had already been dampened by hidden jibes already.

Just as everyone thought the matter had been dropped, Mart looked at his sister and gave her a smile that melted away any thought she had that he had resigned. No one else seemed to notice, though.

"Oh, by the way," he said to her, seemingly offhandedly. "Nice bracelet."

And with those two words, the evening's fun had shattered. Nobody said anything for the half a second of silence that followed his words, everyone taking in what had been said.

Without snapping back a hasty retort or making any sort of scene, Trixie promptly pushed back her chair, carefully picking up plate.

"I'm just going to put my plate away," she said weekly. "I'm done eating, anyway." Her voice was so small, which came as a shock to everyone. She didn't seem to be angry or filled with rage; more like she was deflated, something that made her closest friends even more worried.

Right when her last word came out, Jim noisily pushed back his chair and stood up abruptly, picking up his plate as well. "I'm done, too," he said. "I'll help." He looked concernedly at the blond in front of him. He had no idea that Mart would ever go that far; not in front of their parents, anyway. He felt in part responsible for the state that she was in.

Trixie smiled meekly at him. "It's okay, Jim," she said with a cheerfulness that everyone could tell was false. "Really, you don't need to." She reached for his plate. "If you're done, I can take your plate for you; there's no need for both of us to trouble." Her tone was light, as if nothing had happened.

He looked at her carefully. Her expression didn't openly show that anything was wrong as she looked back at him innocently, but he could see it in her eyes. A small, silent agreement passed between them.

With a last concerned look at one of his favourite people, he sighed, handing over the plate. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her without making sure she was okay, but what choice did he have?

She gave him a small, sad smile, which he returned with one of his own before she walked silently off into the house without another word.

He raked his bright hair awkwardly with his hand, looking dejectedly at the people that were all staring back at him, none knowing what to do.

Brian finally broke the silence. "You're an ass, Mart," he told his younger brother boldly, shaking his head in disbelief.

The Belden in question looked sheepishly down at his food. "I know," he mumbled. "I didn't think before I said it; I'm sorry."

"Well, saying it to us isn't going to make a difference," Peter told his son sternly. "You should go tell your sister."

Much to everyone's surprise, Jim spoke. "No," he said as he took his seat again, "I think that we should all give her some time alone. I doubt she wants to speak to anyone about it."

He sat back bitterly, an air of hopelessness clouding him. "She didn't even speak to me."

Regan and Dan both put a hand on Jim's shoulders, sensing the boy's frustration.

"It's not your fault, son," said Mr. Wheeler to the dejected boy seated at the other end of the table.

"Yeah," agreed Brian. "Don't blame yourself just because Mart couldn't shut his big mouth," he said with surprising ferocity. Brian, who was always mild and sensible, was now angrier than anyone had ever seen him in a while.

"I agree with Jim," said Honey, noting Mart's forlorn and embarrassed expression. "Let's just forget about it. It'll make her uncomfortable if we make a big deal about it." She looked at everyone and tried to put on an up-beat smile. "And plus, I doubt we want this fantastic evening to be spoiled; so let's all try to forget the whole ordeal, okay?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Mart gave Honey a grateful look, which she returned with a polite smile.

"So," started Mr. Lynch, "What are you guys planning on doing with the whole summer you have ahead of you?" he asked the Bob-Whites. They seemed to lighten up a bit. All except Jim, who although keeping a polite expression, had his thoughts wondering worriedly in the direction of the missing member of their club.

"Well," started Dan, "I'll still be helping Mr. Maypenny around the preserve, but I'll probably be spending lots of time with the rest of the Bob-Whites."

Diana nodded in agreement. "I'm sure we'll all have as much fun as we usually do, if not more," she said, in full anticipation of the summer ahead. Sensing Mart's sullen mood, she gave her boyfriend a small nudge. "Isn't that right, Mart?" she asked cheerfully.

He put on a small smile. "Of course," he said, trying to share in the enthusiasm. It turned out; his thoughts weren't that far away from Mr. Frayne's.

"I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun," agreed Honey tactfully.

Mrs. Wheeler smiled at her daughter's efforts. "I'm sure that you guys will stumble across something entertaining, as you so often do." She thought of the many summers spent chasing around mysteries.

A ghost of a smile played on Jim's lips. "That's usually Trixie's specialty," he noted with a chuckle, his eyes drifting down to his lap.

Almost as if at the mention of her name, the blond in question entered onto the porch again, coming slowly to take her seat, fully aware of the eyes that were following her.

Noticing the awkwardness that was about to engulf, Honey put on a large smile and looked at Trixie as she walked to the table. "We were just talking about this summer," she informed the newly-arrived girl with a warm smile. "We were wondering if you were going to stumble us into any mysteries these next few months."

With a smile, Trixie took her seat, grateful at the change in subject. "Maybe; I don't know." She shrugged. "I don't find them; they find me."

A light round of laughter covered the air. "So you're saying you don't hunt for them?" asked Tom.

"Of course not," she said. "Why would I willingly go looking for trouble?" she asked the group.

"Because you like it so much?" suggested Jim with a wide grin. He was happy to see that she wasn't so put down. He hated it when she was sad.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Well…" She though thought about it for a moment. "I don't _dislike_ it," she decided. The whole table burst out into laughter.

Soon, the conversation centered mostly on the adult side of the table, leaving the teens to pick awkwardly at their almost finished meals, wondering what to say. The previous drama hadn't _completely_ eradicated itself from the atmosphere.

All of the Bob-Whites were concerned about Trixie. Although they had tried to forget it, they wanted to see how it affected their close friend. But nobody said anything; too afraid to bring it up, but not bold enough to put it behind them.

Once the spot-light of the 'mystery' conversation had been taken off of Trixie, Jim immediately wanted to see if she was alright. They both had their hands folded in their laps, as they, unlike the rest of the Bob-Whites, had no food to pick at.

Seeing that she was not looking in his direction, he surreptitiously put his hand on top of hers, making her head snap up in surprise. She cast a small glance at him, and he gave a small smile and squeezed her hand before letting it go. She smiled back at him.

At least now he knew she was alright, he realized with a smile.

Mart was also trying to catch his sister's attention; not having the ease of opportunity as Jim. He tried to catch his sister's eye for a good whole minute. He looked at her, and then, finally, she looked back at him. He pleaded with her through his eyes, her expression unreadable. He tried to show her that he was sorry. Soon, she gave him a small smile that made him heave a large sigh of relief.

Honey noticed the exchange, and wanted to ask her friend a few things as well. The two girls looked at each other, a silent agreement coming between them as they both broke out in grins.

"So," Trixie said to her friends, breaking the silence that had engulfed their side of the table. "You guys look like you're done eating," she observed.

Grins broke out all around, like candles being ignited. With some strange understanding, they all got up from the table with their plates (those who had them, anyway), and left the table to somewhere less awkward, putting the whole ordeal behind them.

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**R&R (I haven't been getting many, so in case you don't understand, it means 'read and review'.) )**


	4. Drunken Sunset

**Okay, so here it is! I hope it doesn't disappoint. **

* * *

It was just about sunset as the seven teens walked up the gravelly driveway of Crab Apple Farm, a comfortable silence enveloping the air as they made their way past the parked cars and towards the front of the house.

As they walked, Trixie's mind was spinning into a murky daze. She couldn't help but notice that as they walked, Jim's hand brushed hers ever so slightly. It tingled whenever it made contact with his; she just didn't know why.

She tried not to think about the possibility that in fact she did know why, but was just refusing to believe it. She decided that it was just natural; he was a boy outside of her family; that's why it felt... strange. No other reason, whatsoever.

Brian broke the thick layer of silence that they were previously in, successfully snapping Trixie out of her muddled trance.

"What exactly are we doing?" he asked as they came to a stop in front of the house. A few shrugs went around.

"It's really a lovely sunset, don't you think?" Honey asked the group, turning around slightly to gaze at the purple and orange strips painted against the golden sky. "It'd be a shame to stay inside and miss it."

A unanimous agreement passed through the group.

"Where do you guys want to go to watch it?" Di asked.

"We could always go to the lake," suggested Mart, sweeping his girlfriend into his arms.

"Nah, it's too far," Jim said. "Our parent's won't like it."

In the end, all of them ended up lying on the freshly cut Manor House lawn, relaxingly staring up at the dropping sun, no one daring to break the silence.

They were all assembled strangely, heads by feet, feet beside heads, limbs scattered everywhere.

Of course, two of the Bob-Whites were very close in proximity compared to everyone else. Mart and Di lay staring up at the sky, arms wrapped around each other, Di's head in the crook of Mart's neck as they stared up at the falling sun.

Dan sat beside Jim; not too close, mind you; he wanted to give Frayne some… space. The fact that Trixie happened to be on Jim's other side might have affected Dan's decision too. Just a little bit. He grinned at the thought as he looked up at the sky.

Keeping an innocent distance away from one another, Brian and Honey also laid beside each other, Honey at Trixie's side, and Brian a respectable distance from Mart's. (Nobody went even within three meters of the couple for fear of public affection.)

As they all gazed up at the warm colours plastered across the sky, some peoples' thoughts were elsewhere.

For instance, Jim couldn't keep his mind off of the events of the evening. Would something as simple as a bracelet ruin his friendship with Trixie?

Slowly, his hand crept across the grass to lie beside hers. After a moment of hesitation, he placed it on top, feeling the soft warm skin come to rest under his callused hand.

Trixie's head darted in Jim's direction, glancing slightly at his hand on top of hers. A warm, tingling feeling spread from her hand to the rest of her. She looked at his head, but he wasn't looking at her; instead looking up at the sky with a smile plastered on his face.

For some reason, she kept looking at him; his face, his relaxed, easy expression, his hair, and finally, his hand on hers; his large and rough compared to hers, delicate, small, and soft.

Slowly, he turned his head to look at her, and found her staring back at him, a small smile adorning her face. Still looking at her, his thumb moved up to graze the bracelet on her wrist, feeling his name encrusted in the metal. He felt her shiver a little at his touch, but her fingers twined around his nonetheless.

She rubbed circles on his hand, feeling the tingling feeling that spread through her at his touch.

And they lay there, hand in hand, with their seemingly oblivious friends, watching the remaining colours fade out of the sky and be replaced by bright, glimmering spots plastered onto an inky, dark blue blanket.

* * *

Even as the sun had gone down, the club stayed on the lawn, seemingly hypnotized by the serenity. It was only when Di yelped and swatted her arm, successfully squashing a mosquito in the process, when they realized that it might be a good idea to leave.

"I think the bugs are starting to bite," commented Dan, sitting up. He cast an amused glance at Trixie and Jim's entwined fingers (which immediately sprung apart) and got up, brushing himself off. The others followed suit, some maybe a bit more reluctant than others.

"What time is it?" asked Trixie, trying to keep her eyes averted from Dan's knowing grin.

"Quarter to nine," supplied Jim, coming to stand beside the blonde as the group made their way back to farmhouse.

The lights were on around the house, and it had a warm, inviting feel to it as they arrived, the air thick with humidity and small swarms of bugs going around the light bulbs. The group made their way around the house to the back porch, where, strangely, everyone was still sitting.

The teens exchanged looks as they got closer. The laughter was loud, and the words jumbled. The dinner had been cleaned off the table and dessert laid out, but something was obviously… off.

Regan, who was sunken low in his seat and looking around uncomfortably, saw the group arrive and breathed a large sigh of relief. He excused himself from the table, and of course, the rambunctious adults didn't spare him a glance as they continued their slur.

He sighed heavily as he reached the group, backing them away from the porch and around the side of the house, just out of the table's view.

"I'm glad you finally arrived," he told the group, a tinge of disparity to his voice.

Di couldn't help giggling. "So you're the only one of them not drunk like a skunk?"

Regan frowned at her and the rest of them as they suppressed their laughter at his expression. "Laugh all you want, but this isn't funny," he said, though it was clear a smile was creeping its way onto his face.

Finally, when unable to contain it any longer, the group burst out into laughter.

"How did this even happen in the first place?" Brian finally asked through the laughter.

"I don't know, actually," said Regan as the laughter subsided. "We were having dessert, and then Mrs. Belden brought out a bottle of wine, and then… well, _that _happened," he said, gesturing to the group of drunken parents.

Still smiling, Jim interjected "I'm no expert, but is it possible for all of them to get drunk over _one_ bottle of wine?"

There were some voices of agreement.

"Oh, it wasn't just one bottle," Regan stated matter-of-factly. "And it wasn't just wine," he added mysteriously.

Honey groaned. "Please tell me daddy didn't bring a bottle of that whiskey he loves," she groaned. Regan smiled at her apologetically.

"You kids are just lucky that I'm responsible enough not to have gotten into that state," Regan said. "What would you ever do if all of us were filled with the happy juice?"

Dan's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Well…." he started, "We could have started by jacking the keys to all of your cars," he suggested in a helpful tone.

"Then we would sneak out to the Manor House or clubhouse to protect ourselves from your alcohol-induced stupors," added Trixie with a giggle.

"And we'd be sure to smuggle the kids away somehow," added Honey.

"Speaking of the devils," started Di, and all eyes immediately went to Regan in question.

"Don't worry about them," Regan said reassuringly. "They're passed out in Bobby's room; they had quite an energetic evening."

"Thanks, Regan," said Brian appreciatively. "We can always count on you."

"Yeah," said Jim, hiding a smile. "We can always trust you to keep hating Dad's whiskey," he said, knowing the red-headed groom's distaste for alcoholic beverages.

Regan grunted. "Yeah, laugh all you want," he muttered, not truly angry.

And so they did laugh, and laugh, and then peeked a look at their parents squabbling loudly and laughed again. And they continued laughing, even as they bid Regan good-bye and walked clumsily into the warm, homey furnishing of the Belden homestead. They continued laughing, even though it hardly seemed funny anymore; the more they laughed, the more they laughed, and then the more they laughed, so it was almost as if they were drunk themselves.

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**Hope you liked it- new chapter on the way.**


	5. Games in the Night

**Here it is. I'm really exited for this chapter. Hope you like it!**

* * *

"What do you guys want to do?" asked Brian as the group sat scattered around the couches of the living room.

"We could give each-other makeovers," suggested Di with a giggle, eyeing the boys' expressions at her wonderful suggestion.

The male Bob-whites immediately called out in protest. "No way," said Jim, his voice evident through the loud round of disapproval.

"We could play twenty questions," suggested Honey hopefully, receiving a few shrugs and half-hearted 'okay's.

"How about Truth or Dare?" Dan suggested with a mischievous glint to his eye.

"Ooh! Yes!" shrieked Di gleefully.

"Seeing that everyone is so eager…" Dan started, but was interrupted by Brian.

"Hey, who said that we were all going to play?" He was agreed with by Jim, who knew full well what kind of trouble Dan could get them all into.

"Fine then," Dan said smugly, "Let's have a vote, shall we?"

And everyone except Brian and Jim voted to play the game.

"I'll start," said Trixie. She surveyed her choices, finally resting on her most deserving victim.

"Mart. Truth or Dare?" she asked with a troublesome glint in her blue eyes.

Her almost-twin looked at her suspiciously, weighing his options. "Me thinks that because my X-chromosome sibling is so keen on extracting revenge for my ill-timed quip, I shall endeavour to select the option that will be less likely to leave an ill fate for me or any of my belongings."

Trixie looked at him blandly. "Truth or dare?" she asked simply.

"Truth," he decided.

She seemed to think about it; her hand on her chin, her eyes in the distance, when suddenly a chilling smile spread across her face. "Why, brother dear; I have found a question that I very much would like answered," she said cryptically.

She looked at him and was delighted to see a look of uncertainty on his face. "Oh, Mart," she cooed falsely, "You look a bit scared there," she teased.

Her brother put on a brave face. "Absolutely not," he declared.

"Okay then," Trixie said joyfully. "Do tell us; what is the lowest grade you've ever gotten in school, on what test, and why?"

Mart paled as Trixie just looked at him gloatingly. She was the only one that truly knew the answer to that question; and he knew it.

"Well…" he stammered. "Once… I—" he sighed exasperatedly. "Once last year on my algebra midterm I got a…" he lowered his head. "Thirtyfourpercent," he rushed out incomprehensibly.

Brian gasped, grinning. "What was that, Mart?" He looked at his younger brother. "I couldn't have heard right; I must be mistaken, but I thought I heard you say that you got a—"

"Shut-up!" Mart groaned.

Di looked at the red-faced blond beside her and stroked his hair. "Oh poor Mart," she cooed, a smile creeping its way onto her fair face. "You poor thing; getting a thirty per—"

"Thirty four!"

"—thirty four percent on his algebra test," she continued, laughing as he shoved her hand off of him irritably. "Fine," she said with mock hurt. "I think I'll go sit by Trixie then," she said, getting up. She never got very far before Mart reached out and pulled her back next into his side, wrapping an arm snuggly her and pecking her cheek, earning a groan from a few of those settled around them.

"Get a room," Dan called good-naturedly.

"Okay, you turn, Mart," Honey said, smiling.

He looked around to find his unsuspecting victim. "Danny-boy," he decided. "Truth or dare?"

Dan grinned his signature grin. "Dare."

"Bad decision," clucked Mart. Dan just shrugged. "Hmmm… so many choices, how shall I decide on one method on which to embarrass old Dan here?"

He smiled, an idea coming to mind. "I have thought of something, but before I divulge my resplendently diabolical plan, I must ask one question; what is the penalty for when one of the less brave at heart decide to chicken out?"

"How about they have to do double of the opposite choice?" suggested Trixie. "So if Dan chickens out on this, he has to answer two truths."

Everyone agreed, and so Mart decided to divulge his master plan. "Okay, Dan; I dare you to go to the severely un-sobered adults and ask Celia for her number."

The group of teens burst out laughing. "What?" Dan asked surprised. He grinned. "Who's going to protect me from Tom's drunken wrath?" he challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Mart said. "Unless you're too scared, of course."

Dan stood up and huffed out his chest. "Of course not." He walked to the back door leading out to the porch. "Are any of you coming?" he asked as he opened the sliding door.

The rest of the Bob-Whites scrambled to their feet and crept to the door, watching as Dan went up to the loud table and tapped Celia tentatively on the shoulder. She turned around, unnoticed by anyone but the Bob-Whites. They watched as he asked her with his signature bad-boy grin, leaning ever so slightly on her chair as he worked his boyish charm. They watched as Celia grabbed a piece of paper out of her purse, scribbled something groggily onto it, and toss it at him with a laugh and a smile before blowing him a sloppy kiss, whisking another swing of liquor, and returning to the conversation.

Dan walked back to the group easily, grinning at them as he entered and shut the screen door. He flung the piece of paper at Mart with a smile. "Next time," he said with a lazily relaxed expression, "do your dirty work yourself." He grinned before taking a seat again against the couch, one leg out and an arm draped over it. The other Bob-Whites were still laughing hard about Celia's drunken exchange as they came to sit.

"She blew you a kiss!" Honey recalled gleefully.

"Yeah, it was gross; her breath smelt like alcohol."

There was more laughter before someone interjected that it was Dan's turn. He cast an eye at all of his candidates before resting devilishly on the unsuspecting red-head. "Jim!" he called out in an overly happy voice, one that left Jim reaching protectively for his wallet.

"This isn't going to be good," he muttered under his breath.

"Of course not," Dan said, as if it was obvious. "Well, for you anyways; it's going to be great for the rest of us, though."

He cast a glance at Trixie. "Well, maybe not _all_ of the rest of us," he added, earning a nervously furious look from Trixie.

"So, truth or dare?" he asked Jim.

"Umm… I think that in this case dare will be the one less likely to get me killed."

"That's stupid," remarked Brian, nudging his friend playfully in the shoulder.

Dan smiled easily at them. "Not unless he's got something to hide," he added pointedly.

"What would that be, Jim?" Honey asked jokingly. Jim just shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"Okay then; I dare you to go sit beside Trixie," Dan said, as if it was the most evil dare he could come up with.

Jim blinked. "That's it?" he asked, looking across the circle to where Trixie was sitting with her back to the small couch, Honey beside her.

"Yup," Dan said, supressing a large smile.

So Jim walked over to where the girls were sitting. Honey got up gracefully, gesturing to the vacated spot with a wink, supressing a grin. Jim shot her a look, which had the effect of making her grin insuppressibly bigger.

He sat down beside Trixie, his back against the small couch. He saw that Trixie was blushing and couldn't help but do the same himself. He also noticed that since the area of the couch was so small, he and Trixie were shoulder to shoulder. Unless he wanted to completely touch her side, he had to keep his left hand in his lap.

"Oh, look," Dan said with a grin. "They're blushing." Everyone except the two in question started laughing.

"Shut-up, Mangan," they both said at the same time, to which Dan just grinned in response.

"Okay, Jim; your turn," said Honey, sparing them any more embarrassment.

"Fine; Brian, truth or dare?" he asked.

Brian shot him an amused look before continuing. "Truth."

Dan and Mart made chicken noises in the background.

"Brian… let's see here. How about," he thought about it for a few seconds before turning back to his best-friend with a grin. "What is the least responsible thing you've ever done?"

Brian paled remarkably. "Well, I wasn't very responsible as a kid…" he started, but was interrupted by eye rolls and groans.

"I mean recently," said Jim, looking closely at his friend's reaction.

Brian mumbled something quietly under his breath, which only Honey caught from her new place beside him. She let out a small burst of laughter. "You did what?" she asked, causing a slightly annoyed expression from the dark-haired Belden.

"Yeah," started Jim. "You did what? I didn't quite catch that."

Brian took a deep breath. "Once, while Moms was out shopping, she told me to watch the roast that was in the oven." He looked down as his friends started to smile in anticipation. "Then, Mart got this new video game, and he asked me to play it, and then…" he faded off.

Mart burst out laughing as the memory flooded his head. "I remember! And we kept playing because you insisted that you would be able to beat me if you tried, and then you kept trying, over and over again, failing each time, until Moms came back and wondered why it smelt like the place was burning."

The group burst out laughing. "How much trouble did you get into?" asked Honey, trying to picture Brian being irresponsible enough to play video games and let the roast burn in the oven. She failed miserably.

"Moms was really angry and I was on Bobby duty for the rest of the week." Brian said solemnly.

Trixie grinned. "And Moms made you make us a new supper," she added. "You're not actually that bad of a cook, to tell the truth."

"Yes," agreed Mart, now remembering to use his sophisticated language. "Your extremely mouth-watering offering of grilled sandwiches and salads did much to appease our maternal caregiver's foul moods to her otherwise responsible first offspring."

"My turn," said Brian, anxious to drop the subject. "Honey; truth or—"

"Dare," she interjected confidently.

He gestured for her to come close so he could whisper it into her ear. Her faced turned more worried as he kept telling her parts, until when he was done she looked at him incredulously.

"Brian!" she scolded.

"What?" he said with a smile as she smacked him in the arm. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, grinning as he rubbed his arm.

"Are you going to do it or not?" he asked the honey-haired girl, who was sulking at her ill fate.

"Absolutely not!" she decided, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"What was it?" exclaimed Di curiously. Brian grinned while Honey simply shook her head.

"It is absolutely terrible! I'd rather take two truths."

"You can at least tell us what it is," pleaded Trixie, always the curious one.

"No." She looked at Brian, waiting for her two truths.

He looked at her decidedly. "Number one; tell them what you were too stubborn to do as a dare," he said with a sly grin.

Honey huffed. "Fine. He wanted me to go in front of the parent's and sing and dance to 'ABBA Dancing Queen.'"

The group laughed as the image flashed in their heads. "That would have been fun to see," commented Dan, smiling at Brian's interesting choice of a dare.

"Number two," started Brian, hoping to get a certain piece of information out her. "Which, out of me, Mart, and Dan, would you pick to go on a date with?" he asked, mischief written all over his face.

Honey flushed, reddened, and paled before deciding to gape at the boy. She heard many exclaims of glee and sounds of surprise from the other Bob-Whites at the question.

"Well, Honey," started Trixie, trying to hide her laughter at her friend's predicament. "You are in quite the rut there, aren't you?"

Jim looked sympathetically at his sister, a look that then changed to one of entertainment and anticipation. He knew just as well as everyone else her answer to that question; the hard part would be for her to admit it.

Honey stammered. "I- You guys are like brothers to me, I wouldn't—" She growled in frustration. "Damn you Brian," she cursed under her breath. She turned to the boy in question. "Why do you care, anyway?" she wondered exasperatedly. What she wasn't expecting was for Brian to flush as well, before quickly hiding it and flashing her a winning smile.

"I'm just curious, that's all," he amended. Honey looked at him curiously before going to think about the question. What should she say? If she said Brian, then—

"Are you sure that's why, Brian?" Dan asked conspiratorially.

Brian looked dryly at him. "Positive."

"What's your answer, Honey?" Di pleaded, eager to see her friend's decision.

"Well, obviously not Mart," she started, but was interrupted by an indignant huff from said Belden.

"Why, oh fair, naïve neighbour of mine, do you not find me worth your affections?"

"I was going to say because you are taken, but now I have other reasons," Honey said, causing chuckles from all around. "So I guess the choice is between Dan and Brian." She sighed. Why couldn't one of them be taken so she could easily pick the other without raising eyebrows? Deep inside, she knew who she would pick, but she refused to think that she thought of any of the Bob-White males as more than friends.

"Let's just make this clear by saying that I _do not_ have any feelings for either of you," she said.

"Right," Dan said, a crooked smile crossing his face. A sudden thought crossed Dan's mind; and evil idea that would definitely cause him to be the object of her revenge, which would be worth it.

"You know, Honey," he started diplomatically, "You could always just say me, because then we'll all know you just said it for the sake of it and didn't actually mean it." He looked at her expression. She was obviously at a loss for words. He had just made it clear that she could avoid the decision altogether by picking Dan and making it seem as though she had picked him for the sake of it, or she could pick Brian, her real choice of the two, and let her feelings be known to all.

"Or," Dan voiced slyly, "You could pick Brian and we'd _really_ know you like better."

Trixie and Di both knew exactly what Dan was trying to do, but were too amused to say anything. Instead, they watched as Honey glared daggers in Dan's direction.

"Fine; just so you guys know that I'm just doing this to get it over with, and it might not actually be my pick of the two," she closed her eyes before continuing, pretending she didn't here Dan comment that he probably wasn't her actual pick of the two. "Because Dan asked so nicely, I'll just say him." See looked at all her friends sternly. "But that does _not_ mean that I like him better." She made sure to look at Brian to see his expression. He looked indifferent, but she could see something in his eyes. Hurt? Relief? She didn't know.

"My turn," she snapped, averting her gaze from Brian's. She looked murderously in Dan's direction but said sweetly, "Dan, truth or dare?"

He grinned easily at her. "Dare. And make it good, babe." He held in his laughter at Brian's glare.

Honey huffed. "I dare you to tell us which one of us girls you would pick to go on a date with." She looked at him smugly, but to her chagrin, he looked at her with bland interest.

"Isn't that considered a truth?" he asked.

"Well, I dared you to tell the truth," she countered.

He just shrugged. "All right." He looked at all of the girls, grinning at yet another idea, this time to upset the other 'would-be' couple.

"Why, Trixie of course," he lied easily, looking tentatively at the mixed expressions of the Bob-Whites.

Mart, Di and Honey laughed out loud, knowing fully what Dan was up to. Brian cast a mildly concerned expression in Dan's direction before coming to the same conclusion as Mart, Di, and Honey and turning to look in Jim and Trixie's direction.

Jim's face was red, but he was obviously trying to calm his anger. Why should he be angry? he asked himself. He also knew that Dan was trying to unnerve him.

Trixie, on the other hand, was speechless and clueless, looking at Dan with a mix of embarrassment and shock. "Me?" she stammered. She and Dan had always been just friends- what did this mean? Unless— The thought struck her.

Her face turned red with anger. "Dan!" she complained. "What? How could you—" she groaned. "Why are you so annoying?" she asked finally.

He looked at her innocently. "What ever do you mean?" he asked. "I simply thought about the most logical answer." He looked at her as if to explain it simply. "Diana is obviously taken, and I wouldn't want to offend Mart."

He looked at Honey. "And Honey is obviously taken by another dark-headed Bob-White," he added, waving off the cries of protest from the two in question.

"So the only one left over is you, because Jim _obviously_ doesn't have any feelings for you." He grinned wickedly at Jim's glare. "Isn't that right, Jim?" Dan asked the red head, who just glared back at him alongside the feisty blonde.

Dan looked at all of his friends, who were all glaring back at him with looks of such intensity that it was almost comical. Finally able to hold it no longer, he burst out laughing, collapsing on his back at the foot of the couch clutching his stomach. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, he looked at all of the faces looking back at him. "Seriously, you guys are _way_ too fun to tease." He looked at them. "And anyways, I believe it's my turn." There were groans from all around, something that made him immensely happy.

"Trixie, truth or dare?" he asked.

Trixie glared at him before snapping, "Dare."

Dan moved at finger signalling her to come to him. He whispered something in her ear, something that made her face turn red. She muttered something under her breath that earned a whistle from Dan; earning him a swift whack in the arm.

After a moment of indecision, she walked back over to where she and Jim were seated, aware that everyone was watching her, one of them grinning madly in anticipation. She took her seat, giving Dan one last dirty look before leaning in and giving Jim a peck on the cheek.

She turned red in the face and buried her head in her hands, aware of the tingling feeling that spread from her lips to the rest of her. She couldn't help but think of the feeling of Jim's cheek under her lips- soft and warm and… pleasant. She banished the thought from her head and looked up to see everyone's expressions. Mart, Honey, and Di looked gleeful, Dan sadistic, and Brian shocked with a touch of a smile at the corner of his lips.

She peeked a look at Jim and found a shocked expression on his face, and when their eyes met he broke out into a grin. She couldn't help but smiling too, and then they were laughing, being watched carefully by everyone else.

Trixie shook her head, looking at Dan. "You're a jerk, Dan."

He smiled his signature bad-boy grin. "Keep telling yourself that, hon. I know you liked it." He winked.

She turned red before stammering a bunch of incoherent lines alongside Jim. When they finally gave up trying to communicate anything, they slumped back, shoulders touching, arm against arm.

There was a small, comfortable yet awkward silence before the group decided to pack up for the night. Forgetting the events of the game that would evidently be later discussed, they stole the keys for their parents' cars just as previously discussed, hid them, and decided to all camp out in the Belden household.

* * *

**Please R&R- even if it' just to say that you've read. It's nice to know that people are reading. And if you like it, I'd appriecate getting follows and favourites. :)**


	6. What's Going On?

**Here it is. I know it's short, but it's necessary. **

* * *

As soon as the door of Trixie's room shut, the girls inside, Di and Honey looked immediately at Trixie, bluntly questioning looks on their faces.

"Okay Trix, spill it." Diana crossed her arms and looked at the blonde.

"Yeah; what was that about?" asked Honey.

Trixie walked over to the girls slowly, a curious expression on her face. "What was what about?" she asked cautiously.

Di rolled her eyes. "Don't play stupid. You know what we're talking about."

Trixie shook her head slowly. "No, actually, I don't."

"Oh come on!" started Honey. "This whole evening something weird has been going on with you."

"Especially after dinner," added Di.

Trixie turned red. "Well, after what Mart said, it's not like I'm not still a bit shocked." She looked at her friends disbelievingly. They of all people should understand.

Honey softened, looking sympathetically at her friend. "Sorry, Trix. We're just curious. And we're not blaming you for being a bit taken aback at what Mart said."

Di apologized as well, relieving Trixie of some of her anger. "We're just curious." Her eyes glittered mischievously. "Especially what happened during Truth or Dare."

Trixie turned red again seeing the knowing expressions on her friends' faces.

"Yeah; you kiss him and then you both burst out laughing. What's with that?" asked Honey, smiling.

"It wasn't that big of a deal- just a kiss on the cheek," Trixie protested, incredibly embarrassed.

"Oh, please," brushed aside Di. "There was totally chemistry there." She smiled amusedly at the fumbling blonde.

Trixie sputtered. "Wha— I didn't… There wasn't—" Defeated, she put her head in her hands, collapsing on her bed as her friends burst out in a fit of giggles around her.

"Just shut-up," she mumbled through her covering fingers.

* * *

In the boys' room, the Bob-White males were helping Jim and Dan make beds on the floor.

"So Jim," Dan started casually, "how did you like our little game of Truth or Dare?"

Jim glared at him, a red tinge to his face. "Mangan, you—"

"Foul language won't be necessary," Dan interrupted with a grin. "Although I believe thanks are in order."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Why would I _thank_ you?"

Mart grinned. "Well you so obviously enjoyed being the object of my beloved Beatrix's affections."

Jim's face was as red as his hair. "Oh come on- it was a dare. Dan was just being stupid."

Dan lay back smugly, arms behind his head. "Please. You definitely enjoyed it. You just won't admit that you guys are head over heels for each other."

"We are no—" he didn't finish his sentence, his mind drifting deluxe 'I told you so' looks from Dan and Mart.

Brain, however, was not amused. "Well you better not be. She _is_ my sister."

Dan made a _tsk_ sound. "So you're allowed Jim's sister but Jim's not allowed yours?"

Both men in question stuttered incomprehensibly.

Dan grinned. "Thought so."

* * *

**There it is; I know it's short, but I needed to have it in there. R&R- even if it just says 'I read it!'. I just want to know how many people are reading. And I know I have a lot of guest readers, whom I would encourage to get FanFiction accounts. You don't even have to write FanFiction if you have an account; you can follow and favourite stories. Please follow and/or favourite my story if you find yourself enjoying it. And if you don't, tell me why. :)**


	7. Midnight Excursion

So, here it is. Sorry for the long update time, but I'm working on a different story. It's not on FanFiction yet, but I hope to upload it soon. Anyway, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. R&R, and hopefully I'll update again soon!

* * *

It was the sound of something like footsteps that woke Trixie up that night. The almost incoherent thumping fading slowly outside her room, growing slightly shallower by the second. It was the footsteps that made her eyes spring open, alert, waiting. And of course, it was her curious nature that got her to tiptoe groggily out of bed to investigate. Careful not to awake her slumbering friends from her beauty sleep, she cast a quick glance at her alarm clock. _4:30 am,_ the blinking blue letters read. Who would be awake at this hour? _Unless_, thought her overly active imagination, _it isn't someone who lives in this house at all. _

She winced when the door creaked as she opened it, sighing in relief when she managed to escape the confines of her bedroom to walk slowly down the hall, taking special care not to put too much pressure on the staircase for fear it may creak and announce her inconspicuous arrival.

She walked slowly and stealthily to the kitchen, where she was aware of the lights turned on and the water running, her entrance unbeknownst by the person in the kitchen.

The culprit of the late night excavation had filled up a glass of water and turned around in Trixie's direction, the sight of her shocking him into sloshing water all over the front of his shirt.

"Crap," Jim muttered, looking down at his now soaked shirt.

"Gleeps, Jim, I didn't mean to startle you like that!" apologized Trixie, making for the paper towel. "I just hear footsteps and…" she faded off.

"It's no problem, Trix," Jim assured, accepting the paper to mop off his shirt. "I was just grabbing some water."

"I noticed," she said sheepishly, handing him a new glass full.

He accepted it gratefully, putting it aside to wipe up the floor.

"Oh, no, Jim," she protested, trying taking the paper towel away from him before he could start wiping. "Finish your water. I made you drop it, so I'll clean it up."

He held the paper towel away from her. "Well I dropped it, so I'll clean it up. Don't worry about it."

However, worry about it she did. Despite his protests, she refused to let him tear a piece of paper towel. She insisted, reaching for it as he kept it out of the way, not taking no for an answer. She reached and grabbed, trying futilely to coax the paper towel away from him until he realized how innocently close she was getting, reaching around him without realizing the extent of her actions, when he finally relented.

He grinned at her despite himself. "Stubborn little thing, aren't you?" She huffed at him, crossing her arms across her chest. "How about we just both clean it up then," he suggested good-naturedly, "since we can't seem to come to an agreement."

"Fine," Trixie said with a small smile, swiping unsuccessfully for the paper towel once more.

Trixie took a piece and went to work on the floor, while Jim wiped the counter. He finished before her and then bent down to help, crouching across from her to mop up the spill. When it was finished they stood up, accidently bumping their heads together. The both stuttered apologies, their equally fair skin turning red when brushed hands while gesturing their apologies.

Awkward silence enveloped, neither of them moving nor meeting the other's gaze, heads down and facing each other, red fading slowly from their cheeks.

Jim finally broke the silence by reaching for his water, taking a large gulp to try to ease the situation.

She surreptitiously watched him as he drank and then rinsed and put his cup away, seeing how his wet shirt clung to his muscular chest, showing the outlines and shadows and crevices. He caught her looking at him from the corner of his eye and smiled to himself, not turning to look at her directly, especially when she blushed red and started busying herself with some menial task.

He turned to her finally. "Look, Trix, about last night—"

"Oh goodness, Jim, I'm sorry for that," Trixie said, turning red at the memory. "Dan was being stupid. I know I shouldn't have, and I'd go back in time to change it and take two truths instead, and I know it must have been terrible for you and—"

"Don't worry about it, Shamus," Jim interrupted, recognizing her nervous rambling. "I know Dan and the other Bob-Whites were just making trouble." He sighed. "And I'm sorry about what happened at dinner time, too." He looked at the curly blonde in front of him thoughtfully. "I never did get to check if you were okay after that," he hinted shyly.

"Oh," Trixie said softly, remembering the events of the past evening. "Truly, I'm fine, Jim. I was just shocked is all." She looked down shamefully.

Jim put two fingers under her chin, gently pushing it up. "Are we okay, Trix?"

She nodded slowly, bringing her hand to touch his under her chin. She wound her fingers in his, bringing their entwined hands to rest between them.

Jim looked shocked for a moment, though not unpleasantly so. He looked at her carefully, gently. "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked hoarsely, his voice almost a whisper.

She looked at him uncertainly, the question swirling about her head. Did she want to talk about it? Would it make things more awkward between them? And what was there to talk about, anyway?

"I don't know, Jim," she said weakly.

"Well, of you ever want to…"

"Yeah," she agreed, not meeting his gaze.

He tugged her loose curl gently, causing her to look at him. "It's alright, Shamus."

"Uh huh," she agreed coarsely, seemingly unable to break away from his gaze. She saw something there, something so tender it made her heart ache. It so caring, like she was the only one that mattered to him.

"Jim," she whispered hoarsely, giving into the urge to hug him. She wrapped her arms around his torso, her face pressed against his wet chest. His arms came to circle her, his head resting upon her mop of sandy curls.

"Trix," he moaned gently into her curls. "I—"

"Don't worry about it," she said. "I know."


	8. Why the Sullen Faces?

So here it is. For some reason I was so exited that I just had to update this soon. And I got such great feed-back about the last chapter that I was positively motivated to write another chapter.

To a guest reviewer who in the last chapter asked: "Know what?!", my response is 'what do you think? :)' It's not something as major as 'I love you, or anything, but still, use your imagination.

* * *

The next morning, the Bob-Whites were up in a flash, unable to go back to sleep after Bobby and the twins had run up and down the hall, announcing their awakening.

After washing up, they curious bunch went to see what had become of their parents. Celia and Tom were nowhere in sight, and the group had some suspicions about what had happened to them.

"I guess even after you asked for her number she couldn't resist Tom's charms," Honey noted to Dan, supressing smiles along with her friends.

"She'll be back; don't worry about it, Honey," he joked. "Although since you said yourself that you'd go out with me I guess you're a bit relieved, huh?" he teased, causing Honey to blush at the thought of what happened during Truth or Dare last night.

After closer inspection, they found the Lynch couple in their car and the Wheelers in theirs, slumped fast asleep across their headboards.

"I'm guessing Moms and Dad are in their room," said Brian.

"Yes, that assumption seems most accurate, and I vote that we do not conform our suspicions for fear of the less than savoury things we may find behind the door."

The group agreed whole-heartedly.

They started preparing for breakfast, most of the group as happy and joyous as they were last night.

Two of the Bob-Whites didn't seem as lively as the others, though. Honey and Di both noticed.

While popping some toast in the toaster, Honey nudged Di lightly, gesturing in the direction of the cupboard where Jim and Trixie were getting the plates. They didn't joke or tease or even talk to each other, and the air around them seemed uncomfortable.

"What do you think it is?" Di asked Honey quietly.

Honey frowned. "I don't know," she said, looking at the co-presidents.

"Maybe it's just about last night," Di said, though she wasn't very convinced herself.

"No, I think it's more," Honey said. "Let's just watch it for a while and see what happens. Maybe it's nothing and we're just making a big deal for no reason."

"I guess," said Di, slowly turning her head uneasily away from Trixie and Jim.

* * *

The group sat down to eat, the table laden with warm scrambled eggs, crispy toast, platters of fried meats, and Mrs. Belden's homemade preserves.

"It's a shame that the parents aren't awake. This breakfast is amazing," said Honey.

"Yeah," agreed Brian, "We actually did a good job."

Dan grinned. "Don't sound so surprised. It's not like we're a hopeless, domestically-challenged group of teenagers."

"Could have fooled me," a new voice said from behind the group. The teens turned around to see the red-headed groom behind them.

"Hey Regan," Honey greeted, along with the rest of the group.

"Hey, guys. I just came to check on everything. Is everyone still…"

"Yeah," said Dan. "All passed out in various places." He grinned. "They are going to have massive hangovers when they wake up."

"Yeah," agreed Mart. "I can't wait to see how they'll be when they finally come to their senses."

"Why don't you join us for breakfast, Regan?" Brian asked politely.

He smiled. "I won't regret it, will I?" he asked teasingly.

"I promise that we didn't poison the food," Di vowed.

Dan snorted. "Speak for yourself."

With an amused shake of the head, Regan joined them.

While the conversation raged on around her, Trixie pushed her eggs around her plate, her head down.

"Hey," said Dan, looking at Trixie's uninterested expression. "What gives, Freckles?"

Trixie's head jerked up in surprise. "What?"

"You seem a bit dazed over there," Regan said.

"Sorry," she said, looking down at her plate once more. "I guess I'm not hungry."

Honey gave a very unladylike snort. "Yeah right, Trix. Something's up." She softened her expression. "If something's wrong you know you can tell us anything."

Trixie gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, it's nothing."

"Are you sure?" asked Di suspiciously.

"Yeah," agreed Dan. "Both you and Frayne seem to not be very cheerful this morning. Something's not right."

Eyes looked in Jim's direction. He too was looking down at his plate quietly, his head popping up at the mention of his name. "Everything's fine," he said dismissively.

Brian raised an eyebrow but let the matter drop. "You guys probably got up on the wrong side of the bed."

Seeing Dan's grin, he quickly amended, "beds."

They both flushed, quickly turning down to their plates once more. The other occupants of the table exchanged looks. What was going on?

"What do you guys want to do today?" Honey asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I could use some help exercising the horses," said Regan.

"We could do that after breakfast," suggested Brian.

"And seeing that our parents aren't in any position to do anything, I think that we'll be allowed off of our chores today," said Mart cheerfully.

"Too bad Maypenny didn't get drunk," said Dan. "I bet_ I_ still have some chores to do."

"Oh poor Dan," cooed Honey falsely. "I guess we'll have to do without you for a day."

Regan raised an eyebrow. "What did my nephew do to make you so snappy at him this time?" he asked curiously.

Dan grinned. "Well, being the only… uninvolved one of the Bob-Whites," the teenagers blushed at this, "I had quite a bit of fun last night while we were playing Truth or Dare."

Regan's mouth twitched. "The only uninvolved one?" he asked.

"Do I even need to elaborate?" Dan asked with a lazy smile.

"No, I don't think that's needed," Regan answered, causing false hope amongst the Bob Whites. "You'd need to be blind not to see it."

"Goodness, Regan, I think you're spending too much time with your nephew." Honey frowned at the pair.

"Well, I bet whatever happened in that game of your is the reason for the sullen faces," Regan hinted, pointing his chin in the direction of Trixie and Jim, who were sitting beside each other.

"I said I'm fine," Trixie said, not looking up from her eggs as the tell-tale blush worked its way up her face at the thought of last evening. She almost shook her head in despair. Why didn't she take two truths instead?

She also thought about what happened earlier that morning when she had found Jim in the kitchen. She tried to banish the memory from her head. It was too confusing.

"Nothing's wrong," agreed Jim, trying not to look at the blonde beside him. "I guess I'm just… tired."

Brian frowned, looking at his sister and best-friend, who seemed to be holding back something from the group. "Seriously, Jim, what is it?"

"Just leave it, Brian," Trixie spoke wearily, her voice tired and strained.

And so they did leave it, the rest of the breakfast eaten with an uncomfortable air surrounding the group, who were glad when they meal was over and done with.


	9. Horse Ride

I'm sorry about the long update time. I know it sucks when your _favourite_ author won't update your _favourite_ story soon enough. ;)

Speaking of favourites, special thanks to JJWOM, Joanne1966, Rachel Di Angelo, and WCF for favouriting my story. And thanks to all the reviewers and followers who make my day just a little more special.

* * *

Honey frowned. She looked once more and then shook her head, finishing saddling Strawberry. It just didn't make any sense. One moment they were happy and care-free, the next both of them secretive and moody.

She watched as Jim finished saddling Jupiter before coming to lend Trixie a hand with Susie, even though everyone knew she was more than capable of handling the horse herself. And Trixie didn't even complain, either. Normally there'd be some quip from her about not needing the help, but this time when Jim came she didn't seem to mind.

Di came over to Honey, having already finished saddling Sunny, the Lynches horse. It was a stroke of luck that Spartan and Sunny had both been in the Wheeler's stables rather than at their respective homes. Dan and Di and ridden them over the previous day, having taken them to Regan for some sort of inspection that Honey was still confused about. They must have passed said inspection, though, because Regan had told them that it would be fine for them to take the horses out for exercise.

"Odd, huh?" Di asked as she came to stand beside Honey, watching the co-presidents.

"I know," Honey agreed. "Just last night they were perfectly fine, and then this morning they were so closed off."

"Yeah," agreed Di, "And now they seem to only want to talk to each other."

They watched as the horses were almost finished being saddled, as Jim reached across Trixie for one last strap and their hands brushed and lingered before springing apart, both of them turning away, red-faced and embarrassed.

The girls watched, eyebrows raised, as Jim walked away awkwardly, going to fiddle idly with Jupiter's reins.

"Wow," said Di finally.

"Yes," agreed Honey, "Something is _definitely_ going on."

* * *

The group trudged through the game reserve, the air crisp and cool, the sun just making its way across the sky.

Honey and Di watched the Belden boys and Dan walking up front. What they were more curious about, though, were the two Bob-whites at the back.

"They still seem to only want to be around each other," she noted quietly to Honey, casting a surreptitious glance back at Jim and Trixie, who were riding and talking quietly behind the group.

"What in the world do you think they're talking about?" asked Honey.

"I've got no idea. But I want to know," said Di.

"Yeah, something's been going on with them. And it couldn't have just been the game last night."

"Something else's up," agreed Di.

Honey grinned mischievously. "It looks like a job for Wheeler-Lynch Relationship Professionals Inc."

Di giggled. "Operation 'See What's Up With Trixie And Jim' is being commenced."

Honey burst out into giggles too. "Code name: Operation SWUWTAJ."

After they had calmed down a bit, Honey looked backwards to the couple again. "Hey, Trix," called Honey. "Come and talk to us!" she said good-naturedly, choosing her words carefully.

Trixie gave them a small smile before casting a worried glance at Jim. He shrugged with a smile and so Trixie rode up to see Honey and Di. Even when she reached her friends, Trixie watched as Jim passed her to see the boys.

Honey and Di exchanged looks. "So," Honey said to Trixie conversationally, "What do guys think we should do today?"

Trixie looked at her startled, as if jumping out of a trance. "Oh, I don't know." She gave a small smile. "The weather's very nice," she offered.

"Yes, it's great, actually," said Di. "Maybe we could go swimming."

"We could have a picnic!" said Honey excitedly. "At least Cook doesn't have a massive hangover."

The girls laughed, and as they talked, Honey noticed with relief that Trixie looked lighter and less morose.

"Let's go tell the boys," said Di, already riding up to the male members.

Just as Trixie was about to go ahead as well, Honey stopped her with a light hand on the shoulder. "Trix," she said softly, "I'm worried about you."

Trixie's carefree expression was clouded over. "What is it, Honey?"

"Well, I know last night was a bit of a shocker but ever since then you and Jim have been acting so strange."

Trixie's expression softened, a light blush coming to colour her face at the mention of the red-head. "It's nothing, Honey." She offered a smile. "Really."

Honey narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, though, right?"

Trixie looked at her caringly. "Of course, Honey."

And so they rode ahead. Just as they were moving, Trixie noticed something in the bushes beside her.

"Whoa, girl," she halted Susie, jumping off to inspect the shining glint in the foliage.

Honey looked back curiously, along with a few of the Bob-Whites in front.

"What is it, Trixie?" Jim called, coming to rest Jupiter beside Honey, looking curiously at the blonde.

Trixie knelt down, pushing some of the thick leaves away to get a better look. She froze.

"Um, guys," she said, not picking up whatever she had found. "I think you should see this."


	10. What's That Smell?

Thanks to all the support I've been getting. Again, I'd like to suggest that all guest users get FanFiction accounts; then you can follow and favourite the stories you like even if you don't want to write FanFiction. I think that getting an account was a good decision when I did it; I also was a guest then got tired of keeping track of the stories I liked. With an account you can follow the stories and get emails when updates happen. :)

Hope you enjoy the chapter, and tell me what you think; constructive reviews mean a lot.

* * *

"What is it?" Brian asked, coming along with the rest of the Bob-Whites to get a closer look.

Jim reached to push the thick foliage away where Trixie was standing, but she put a restraining hand on his arm. "Be careful, Jim, don't touch it."

She carefully pushed the leaves away and stepped aside to give her friends a better look. A collective gasp weaved through the group.

An open box of syringes about the size of a shoe box lay at their feet, each syringe looking used and seemingly empty, with traces of clear, bluish liquid in them.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Di, backing away.

"Oh my is right," said Jim, crouching down to inspect the box of needles.

"Careful, Jim," Brian warned. "You don't know what's in them or who's used them."

Jim rolled his eyes, standing up again. "Thanks Dr. Belden."

"This is serious, guys," Honey warned. "We need to tell Sergeant Molinson."

Trixie looked suspiciously at the box. "Well we can't just leave it here for anyone to stumble upon."

Murmurs of assent went around. "And who knows, maybe the people who put them here will be back any minute," she added.

Brian's eyes widened. "Oh, no, Trix," he said, shaking his head. "This isn't something to mess around with. This is serious."

Trixie crossed her arms angrily. "Brian Belden, I'm not going to 'mess around!' And I know this is serious! I'm not a child." She looked around crossly.

Jim took a worried glance at the blonde. "Well, I vote that some of us stay here and some of us go call the station."

"Yeah," agreed Dan. "That way nobody coming along here gets hurt."

"I vote that four should stay and three should go. Brian can take two people to call the police and I'll stay here with Trixie and whoever else wants to stay," Jim said.

Di and Honey exchanged looks despite the situation.

"Me and Mart will go with Brian," Di volunteered, glancing sharply at the blonde-haired Belden, challenging him to object. Mart quickly hurried to her side.

Brian narrowed his eyes at his sister and Jim. Shaking the thought from his head, he started towards his horse. "We'll leave your horses here with you," he said. "Just make sure they don't go close to those things."

"We're fine, Brian," Trixie snapped, face a pale red from the look she saw her brother give her and Jim.

When they were gone, Trixie knelt to inspect the box. She sniffed in a faint odour and recoiled.

"What is it, Freckles?" Dan asked, coming to stand beside her.

"That smell…" she said wonderingly. "It's familiar, but I can't place it exactly."

Dan frowned. "Hey, Frayne, get over here," he gestured to Jim as he knelt down cautiously in front of the box. Taking a small sniff, his brow furrowed, the smell incredibly familiar.

"What is it?" Jim asked quietly as he knelt down beside the gang member. He could tell by Dan's troubled expression that it wasn't good, and whether or not they wanted the girls to know about it he wasn't sure.

"Take a sniff," Dan told him, looking at the syringes more cautiously. He watched as Jim grew a troubled expression. "Exactly," he said, and the two boys exchanged a knowing look.

"That's it!" Trixie exclaimed. "I know what the smell is." She looked worriedly at Honey and the boys. Seeing the troubled faces of the males, she realized they did too. "You guys figure it out too?" she asked.

They nodded grimly.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Honey. "Am I the only one that doesn't know what's going on?"

"It's cocaine," Dan said grimly. "Mixed with something else."

"Cocaine?" Trixie asked, surprised. "I smelt cyanide," she said, her and Honey kneeling down beside the boys.

Jim snapped his fingers in recognition. "That's what it is," he said excitedly. "I couldn't place the smell— it was so faint. The cocaine overpowered it." He looked at the blonde. "You're a genius, Trix."

She blushed under the praise.

"Wait, back up," Honey said. "Cyanide as in the thing in apple seeds?"

"Yes," said Trixie, piecing together information in her head. "Like that time when Brian fainted because of cyanide poisoning."

"You mean that time with his lab partner?" Dan asked familiarly.

"Yeah," remembered Jim.

Trixie looked gingerly at the box. "And that was just a small amount. Imagine what whole syringes of the stuff can do."

Just as they were about to discuss it further, they heard the familiar sound of hoof prints.

The group stood up to greet the newcomers. Along with their fellow Bob-Whites were Sergeant Molinson and two officers, all on horseback.

The sergeant greeted the group gruffly, getting his officers to deal with the police horses.

The group showed him the box, which was lying almost in the same condition as it was when they found it except for the foliage pushed down around it from when they inspected it.

"I assume you have found something out about it," the sergeant said dryly, looking at the group, and in particular a certain blonde.

Trixie realized with a jolt that the sergeant was asking about her findings.

"What makes you conclude that we found something?" Brian asked the sergeant politely.

He rolled his eyes. "It's you bunch, of course you and that amateur detective of yours has found something."

Trixie didn't know whether to be offended or flattered, so she chose to brush it aside.

"We did find something out," she said.

"And what is that?" he asked impatiently.

"We have a strong idea of what was inside the syringes," she said carefully.

"I hope you didn't touch anything," he said, already moving to check the box.

"Of course not, sir," Jim said, looking at the uneasy blonde. "We managed to find it out by smelling it."

"And what did you find?" he asked, about to take a sniff for himself.

"It smells like a mix of cyanide and cocaine," said Trixie, just as the sergeant took a sniff for himself and cringed at the strong odour.

"Indeed it does," he said grimly, standing up and brushing his hands off.

He ordered his officers to section the area off, climbing back on horseback and gesturing for the teens to do the same.


	11. Can I Talk to Your Parents?

**And I would like to dedicate this chapter, or at least thank, Amybf19, for her excellent point she made in one of her reviews for last chapter, which I hope I addressed at least partially. Thanks Amy!**

**And of course, thanks to all who give me the motivation to keep writing.**

* * *

The group rode on with the police sergeant, despite a few of them secretly wanting to inspect a bit more.

"None of you are to trespass onto the cordoned off area, understood?" Sergeant Molinson said strictly.

Trixie was about to protest but was cut off but a sharp glance of finality from the sergeant.

"So we're not allowed to do any investigating?" Trixie asked disappointedly.

"Absolutely not. Unless you stumble across something _without_ looking for it purposely or something happens directly to you I want no involvement whatsoever, and that is final."

He looked back at the group. "Not this case. We're dealing with some serious chemicals and drugs here, and it is _not_ safe for your amateur investigations."

Trixie and a few of the other now bruised Bob-Whites sat steaming the rest of the ride.

* * *

The group pulled up at the Wheeler stables.

"I will have to conduct a formal briefing of the situation to your parents, so if you don't mind telling them that I will be stopping by?"

The group stifled some uncomfortable chuckles.

"Well, you see, Sergeant Molinson," Jim started, "Our parents aren't exactly able to see anyone at the moment."

The sergeant raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?" he asked.

"Well," said Trixie, "We had a party last night and… well…"

"They are all passed out with severe hangovers," Dan concluded easily.

The sergeant now raised both eyebrows. "All of them?" he asked.

"My parents, the Wheelers, the Lynches, and Tom and Celia," said Brian awkwardly.

The sergeant looked at the group strangely before heaving a sigh. "Is there _anyone_ I can speak to?" he asked wearily.

Just as he finished his sentence, three rambunctious children sped into view, coming towards the group with a slight flustered red-headed groom behind them.

"Regan's not drunk," offered Mart.

Upon seeing the police sergeant, the groom sighed and walked over to the group, the scene so painstakingly familiar.

"Sergeant Molinson," he greeted. He looked at the teens. "What did you guys get yourselves into now?" he asked tiredly.

As they explained the situation, Trixie's thoughts wandered off. How could he not allow them to investigate? They'd helped with dozens of cases before, so how come this time was any different?

And most troubling of all, she realized with a jolt, was what they'd discovered so far. What could possibly be the use of cocaine and cyanide? She knew only a little about the two substances, and what she did know was troubling. It was a good thing that Dan and Jim knew it was cocaine that the smell was. If they hadn't, she didn't know where they'd be at this point. That thought brought up another troubling question. How had they?

Regan scratched his head as they had finished telling the story. "That's very troubling," he commented. "_I_ don't know anything about it, but I wouldn't know at the moment if any the other adults have heard anything relative to the case."

He seemed to think about how to word their predicament.

"Don't worry, Regan," Jim said, "We told him."

Regan gave a small smile. "Well, then, I suppose that you could call tonight or stop by tomorrow?"

"Or we could always check on them now," suggested Di.

The group of teens almost burst out laughing at the thought of their parents.

"Well, then" said the Sergeant, looking a bit awkward with the situation, "I best be on my way." He looked sternly at the youngsters, and Trixie in particular. "You all remember what I said about no involvement, right?"

The group muttered their consent.

"And just so you know it's clear," he said as he began turning to Regan, "I'd like you to know that I have instructed them to steer clear of this case, as we have clearly ran into some dangerous adversaries."

"No problem," the groom said, giving a warning look to the Bob-Whites.

* * *

"What was sore-jant Molinson here for?" Bobby asked the group once the Sergeant had gone. "Did you guys find mister-y?"

Brian looked fondly at his little brother. "We sure did, kiddo. And by the way, it's sergeant, not sore-gent."

"That's what I said," said Bobby matter-of-factly. "Sore-gent."

The group sighed.

"Terry, Larry," called Di, beckoning to her little brothers. They came racing over to their big sister. "I think I need to take you guys home," she said, looking sceptically at them. They were both grimy from the day before and in some of Bobby's extra clothes, unable to be properly dressed because of their parents' predicament.

"But I don't wanna go home!" said Terry.

"Yeah," said Larry, pointing a finger at the groom, "We're having so much fun with Regan!"

Di sighed. "But you guys need baths and I'm sure Regan doesn't appreciate you guys running all over the place."

The boys gave her pouting faces. "But Di!" Larry complained. "Mommy and Daddy didn't say we have to go home yet!"

This brought chuckled from the Bob-Whites.

"I know that," Di said carefully, looking irritably at her friends, "but_ I_ said we have to go home."

Terry crossed his arms. "Where's Mommy, anyways?"

Di gave an exasperated sigh, looking hopelessly at her grinning friends.

Finally, Jim came forward with a helping hand.

"Okay, boys, how about I make you a deal?" he said, leaning down so he was face to face with the twins, who looked back at him eagerly. The both nodded their heads. "If you go home with Di, I'll take you guys out to Wimpy's for lunch. Deal?"

"Yes!" they both said, beaming at Jim.

Di looked gratefully at the red-head. "Thanks, Jim."

"No problem," he said with a smile.

Bobby came and tugged on Jim's arm. "Can I come too, Jim?" he asked earnestly.

Jim's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Only if you promise to be good for your sister this week," he said, pretending to be serious.

"Oh, yes, I promise!" He looked at Trixie, who was standing amusedly off to the side. His big eyes were wide as he pleaded. "I swear, Trix, I'll be good!"

Trixie ruffled her little brother's hair affectionately. "I believe you, Bobby, don't worry."

And with that, Brian volunteered to take Di and the boys back to their house, with the promise of everyone meeting back for lunch in an hour.


	12. They Aren't Awake Yet!

I'd like to that the guest reviewer (who didn't leave their name ): ) who pointed out my mistake about Sergeant Molinson. I had been calling him _Mollison_, but I now understand that that is not correct. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter, and please review with any and all feedback!

* * *

"That's great, Dan!" Honey said.

"Well, it comes with a catch," he said to the group gathered around the front of the Wheeler's house.

"What's that?" asked Jim.

"If I want to come to lunch with you guys, I'm going to have to do a full day of chores tomorrow."

"Maypenny's gone heartless, hasn't he?" Trixie said jokingly.

"Maybe if you stopped by more often he wouldn't be as grumpy," Dan said.

Trixie looked at him curiously. "And why is that?"

"He enjoys your company," he said, causing Trixie to blush. "He always seems to smile when you're around."

Honey looked at her best friend mischievously. "I thought you only had that effect on red-heads."

Dan and Honey both laughed at the expressions on Jim and Trixie's faces.

"Why are you blushing, Jim?" Honey asked innocently. "I was talking about Regan."

Jim rolled his eyes and gave her a look. "Of course you were."

He looked at his watch. "I think we should get going. Brian and the others will be waiting."

"I want to go check on our parents though, to see how they're doing," Honey said.

Jim frowned. "You know, I really doubt that they'd still be asleep by now. It's highly unlikely, even after all the drinking they've done."

"Yeah," said Dan, checking his watch, "It's almost twelve in afternoon."

Trixie frowned, a thought coming to her mind.

"What is it, Trix?" Jim asked, noting the blonde's change in expression.

Trixie shook her head. "It's probably nothing. Let's go check on them."

Even though it was evident Jim hadn't dropped the subject, they still went to the Belden house.

Looking through the window of the Lynch's car, they noted that both adults were still fast asleep.

"That's weird," said Trixie, this new piece of information only fuelling her theory.

It was the same was with the Wheelers. Both were still slumped back in their seats.

"That leaves your parent's, Trixie," Dan said as the group entered the Belden household.

Honey gave a nervous giggle. "I think you should be the one to open the door, you know?" she said to Trixie. She blushed. "Just in case."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "I don't want to see that much of my parents any more than you do. And anyways, they're my parents, so I'll have to see them every day."

"Yeah," said Honey, "But if I see anything, then that will ruin my permanent image of them in my head. I see them as wonderful people. But if I go in and see—"

"All right, whatever," Trixie said haltingly, heading up the staircase and leaving her grinning friends behind.

"God, Honey," Dan said with a grin, "You're almost as bad as me."

"Heaven forbid," she said with a shiver.

They waited until Trixie came back down, this time her expression troubled. "They're not up either," she said as she came to stand beside them. "And before you can say anything," she said quickly, pointing a warning finger in Dan and Honey's direction, "they were under the covers."

Despite themselves, Dan and Honey burst out laughing. Trixie and Jim exchanged looks, neither of them finding anything funny at all.

When Dan and Honey finally got a hold of themselves, Jim made a compromise. "How about we go meet everyone for lunch, and if when we come back they're still asleep, we'll figure out where to go from there."

Dan and Honey shrugged in agreement, already heading out the door. Trixie, however, was a bit more sceptical. "Jim, are you sure…" she faded off, not sure of what she was going to say.

"Don't worry, I know what you mean. We'll just have to wait and see." He gave her a small smile. "And anyway, if we keep Mart waiting, we'll never be able to come back."

Trixie smiled. "I'm sure there's a bottom to that stomach somewhere."

"I'm not so sure," he said, and so they decided to leave it at that for the time being.

* * *

Once they had fetched Bobby from the grateful Regan, the group went up to the station wagon, Brian having taken his car.

"Hey, Honey, Bobby," Dan called conspiratorially, nodding his head in Jim and Trixie's direction. "Do you want to sit in the back with me? You know how Trixie likes the front seat."

Honey grinned. "Of course. We wouldn't want to deny Jim the company of his _favourite_ Bob-White."

"I knew she was Jim's favourite!" exclaimed Bobby as he climbed into the backseat, oblivious to the inside joke. Dan and Honey burst out laughing.

"Would you guys give it a rest?" Trixie said as she climbed into the front seat beside Jim, her face tinted red like his.

"Give what a rest?" Dan asked innocently.

"You know what," Jim said as he started the engine.

"What?" asked Bobby curiously, looking expectantly at the older kids.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Dan. "Honey?"

"Nope," she said, hiding her smile. "Not a clue."

* * *

When the group pulled up in front of Wimpy's, they weren't surprised to note that Brian's car was already parked in the lot, the group that was inside already with a table.

"Hey guys," Terry called, seated beside Larry at the end of one of the large tables, "over here!"

Di was beside Larry, and Mart, naturally, was at her side.

"Bobby," said Larry, "Ask Di to move so you can sit beside us!"

Diana looked indignantly at her little brother.

"No, it's okay," said Bobby. "I'm gonna sit by Jim," he said, already grabbing a seat beside Jim, who sat at the end of the table opposite Mart.

Dan smiled at the youngster. "But that's Trixie's spot, remember?"

Bobby seemed to think about it before smiling and going to sit beside Brian at the other end of the table. "You're right, Dan."

As everyone but the couple in question was laughing, Brian looked suspiciously at his best friend and sister. Jim caught his look and looked away quickly, taking a special interest in his menu.

Dan, seated beside Mart across the table from Jim, noticed the exchange with a grin, remembering to bug the two about it later. Nothing was more fun than watching the protective brother, especially when his best friend had feelings for his sister. And that was a fact, thought Dan. Even if the couple didn't even realize it themselves.

"What took my companions such an extensive amount of time to reach this nourishing facility?" Mart asked.

Trixie and Jim exchanged looks. "We were just checking if the parents were awake yet," Trixie said carefully, aware of the curious young ears at the table.

"They weren't," said Honey.

"They're sleeping a long time," said Bobby. "Normally Moms wakes up early."

"That's probably because _you_ wake her up," said Brian, poking his little brother in the stomach and receiving a gleeful squeal.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked, the voice familiar enough to make the group turn around.

"Oh, hey Nick!" greeted Trixie, recognizing the artist from school.

"Hi, Trixie," he said with a blush. He blinked. "Hey, guys."

"Hey Nick," the group greeted.

"I didn't know you worked here," Honey said politely.

"Oh, I just got a summer job," he said. "What'll it be?"

When the group had ordered and Nick was safely out of earshot, Honey looked at Trixie.

"Wow, Trix, he _so_ likes you."

Trixie stuttered disbelievingly.

"Yeah," agreed Dan. "The way he blushed when you talked to him was a dead giveaway."

"Oh please," Trixie huffed, her face bright red. "He's just shy."

"Keep telling yourself that, Trixie," Di said.

Dan looked carefully at Jim, wanting to see any reaction in the face of the red-head. He looked for the most part undisturbed, but he was also focussed intently on the table, not joining in on the conversation. Dan decided that he could have some fun with it.

"Oh, well, I guess that Jim doesn't seem to mind," he said casually.

Jim's head shot up. "Why would I mind?" he asked carefully, obviously trying to control the colouring of his face.

"Yeah," Brian said, frowning. "Why would he mind?"

"I told you," Jim said, his voice increasingly unsteady, "I don't care."

Dan smiled. "Whoa, Frayne, calm down." He grinned conspiratorially. "Nick doesn't even have a chance."

"A chance at what?" Larry asked.

The Bob-Whites shot Dan a withering look.

"Yeah, Dan," said Jim steely, "a chance at what?"

Dan looked around frantically. "Oh look," he said, spotting Nick coming with a heap of food on a tray, "the foods here."


	13. I'll Tell You, Just Wait!

You know, I haven't been getting a lot of reviews lately, even with all I've been updating. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed; you make my life better. And if you are reading, I would really appreciate to if you reviewed, even if just to say that you're reading it. :)

And also, I'm really excited about this story, as at the moment it is taking a very... mystical turn. I hope you enjoy all the action, but don't worry, I'll be adding some romance and humor in it later on as well.

* * *

"Hey, Brian," Di asked as they walked out of Wimpy's, each hand holding tight to a different brother. "Do you mind giving us a ride back home? I just want to drop them off before we go back to your guys' places. Harrison and the nannies will take care of them."

"No problem, Di." He looked at Mart. "You coming?"

"Why of course. I must take every opportunity to spend time with my beloved pulchritudinous maiden, shall I not?"

"Whatever, just get in the car."

"See you Bobby!" the twins called as they were ushered off.

"Thanks for lunch, Jim," Di called as she got into the car, and her words were echoed by her brothers.

Jim grinned. "No problem."

The rest of the Bob-Whites and Bobby took the station wagon back to Glen Road, one of them in particular wanting some time to mull things over, especially after everything that was happening in her life.

* * *

"I can't believe they're still asleep!" Honey exclaimed as the group finished checking on their parents once more.

"This isn't normal," said Jim, looking worriedly at his parents snoozing through the window of their car.

Dan looked around. "Where's Trixie?"

"I'm over here," she called, peering through the now open door of the Lynch's car.

"What are you doing?" Honey asked, coming to stand beside her best friend.

Trixie was leaning into the car, close to Mr. Lynch.

The others couldn't exactly tell what she was doing, but it was obvious that she was troubled.

Just then, she cringed, ducking hurriedly out of the car.

"Guys, call Seargent Molinson and Dr. Ferris. Now!"

* * *

"What is it Trix?" Honey begged after Trixie had finally put down the phone.

"Yeah, Trix, spill it," Dan said, his usually fun-loving demeanour not in sight.

"Trixie?" Bobby said quietly, pulling at his sister's shirt. "What is it? I'm scared."

Trixie's expression softened. "It's nothing, don't worry about it, Bobby."

She gave Honey a look, clearly conveying a message about Bobby.

Honey shook her head vehemently. "Not now, Trixie Belden. I've waited too long this summer, for everything. Lately you've been very secretive about a lot of things, and I'm not going to help you with Bobby until you start giving me some straight answers." She crossed her arms in front of her, her face red from her rant.

Trixie blinked before looking apologetically at her friend. "Look, I'm sorry, Honey, about not being very open with you lately." Her expression turned more serious and worried. "But right now, I'll tell you everything you need to know after we get Bobby to Regan or someone so we can talk."

"But I wanna stay with you!" Bobby said, the seriousness of the situation taking its toll on the six year old.

"Hey Bobby," Jim said from the stairs where he had been pacing quietly. "How about you let us take you to Regan and then we'll talk to you about it later, so the big kids can talk right now?"

Bobby nodded, wiping a tear with a chubby palm.

"Let's all go," said Trixie. "I think we should tell everyone- Mrs. Trask, Regan, they need to know."

"Need to know what?" Honey asked exasperatedly. "You haven't even told _us_ anything!"

Trixie looked hopelessly at her friend. "I know, Honey, but I don't know where to start! At least if we get everyone gathered we'll be a bit organized and be able to find a place to begin." She sighed. "Come on, Bobby."

* * *

Just as the very flustered group made their way up the driveway of the Belden house, Brian's jalopy came rumbling down the road, three Bob-Whites present inside.

"What is it?" Brian asked, rolling down the window as he noticed the frantic faces of his friends.

"Just meet us at the Manor House, stat," Trixie said, rushing past them, Bobby struggling to keep up with his hurrying sister.


	14. Explain- Now!

I know I'm updating soon, and extremely irregularly, but I can't help myself; I'm so excited. So excited that I've updated this without even getting one review for the last chapter yet, probably because I just uploaded it like half and hour ago.

Oh well. Enjoy!

* * *

"What is it, Trixie?" Miss Trask asked, startled at the crowd of youngsters now gathered around her and Regan at the front of the Wheeler house.

"We should sit down for this," Honey said, shooting her best friend a look, "it will probably take a while."

Once the group was seated restlessly around the couches in the family room, Jim said, "Bobby, do you want to go play with Patch? He's outside with Reddy."

"Okay," the youngest Belden said with a shaky voice, trudging off to go find Jim's spaniel.

"Okay, spill it Trixie," Honey said with a ferocity that surprised everyone.

"Yeah," Dan said. "Dr. Ferris and Sergeant Molinson will be here soon, and nobody knows what the hell is going on."

"Sergeant Molinson and Dr. Ferris?" Miss Trask said, sounding worried.

"What's going on, guys?" Regan said seriously.

"Yeah, we get home and all we hear is that we should meet you here and you've call the police," Brian said, looking incredulously at Trixie, Honey, Dan and Jim. "Explain."

"Ask Trixie," Honey said, traces of bitterness in her voice. "I have no idea."

Trixie took a deep breath before starting, not knowing how to start. "I think our parents were poisoned."

A round of uproar erupted throughout the room.

"What?" Brian said, being the only clear voice heard through the sound.

When they all started looking at her for an explanation, she sighed.

"You all know that they were asleep for a while this morning," she began.

"Yeah, because they all had hangovers!" Mart exclaimed.

"That's what I thought at first too," she started, trying to explain herself. "But—"

"No 'buts' Trixie, this is getting too far," Brian said, looking hardly at Trixie. "If you think that Moms and Dad were poisoned then—"

"Just let her speak," Jim said tiredly, looking down at his lap.

Brian looked surprisingly at his friend. "Do you really think that our parents were _poisoned_?"

"Well maybe if you'd let her speak you'd find out!" Jim snapped back.

"Guys!" Regan called. "Just let her continue and you can argue about it later." He shook his head, waving a hand for Trixie to continue.

She looked at Jim and Brian uncertainly before gulping. "Yeah, Brian, I think they were poisoned, and I have proof." When she received no response, she continued. "I was worried about it ever since before lunch, especially when I went to check on Moms and Dad." She took a breath before continuing. "When I went in, I smelt something."

"Something?" Honey asked, looking curiously at her friend.

"It was really faint, but it still hit me when I opened the door." She took a breath. "Cyanide."

Jim sat up. "Did it smell just like cyanide or was it like the stuff we smelt in the game preserve?"

Trixie hesitated. "I'm not sure," she said, trying to think. "When I went in at first, I thought I was imagining things."

"At first?" Miss Trask asked.

"When we came back and they were still asleep, I started to get suspicious."

Jim stood up. "When you opened the Lynch's car door, you were smelling it, weren't you?"

Trixie nodded.

"And you smelt the cyanide," Honey said, understanding evident in her voice.

Trixie nodded once more. "I checked Mr. Lynch's pulse," she said, seeing the distraught expression on Di's face. "He still had a steady pulse, and I assume the others are the same."

Miss Trask stood up and Regan did the same. She took a shaky breath. "I don't know what is going on or who is responsible, but things are starting to get serious."

Just as she said it, they heard a car pull up on the gravel outside and the bark of the dogs.

"I think Dr. Ferris and Sergeant Molinson are here," Dan said, getting up with the rest of the group and heading out the door to meet the newcomers and deliver the news.


	15. Nerves Pulled Tight

__Thanks to all the reviewers that have followed me this far through the story. I know things are getting tough, but I hope you still enjoy it all the same.

Please review- it helps me write.

* * *

_Oh my Lord. _That's what was going through the heads of Sergeant Molinson and Dr. Ferris as the teens fumblingly told them of the latest developments in the case.

_These kids can't even stay out of trouble for one day,_ thought Sergeant Molinson, frowning at the news as they told him, each detail becoming even worse than the one before it.

When they announced the poisoning of their parents, Dr. Ferris had finally had enough. "Why are we just standing here, then?" He urgently ushered past them towards Crabapple Farm, medical bag in hand and a group of distraught people hurrying after him.

* * *

It seemed like ages. With the police crews around Crabapple Farm; about a dozen officers in all, and a doctor trying to figure out whether their parents were alive or dead, the Bob-Whites were in an absolutely horrified state of disarray and anticipation.

The police having sealed off Crabapple farm for investigation, the Beldens as well as the Wheeler, Frayne, and Lynch, had to sit idly in the Manor House under strict orders of no interference. They had been told that an officer would be over to question them and everyone else soon, but of course, that had been an excruciating ten minutes ago, and the distraught teens were left to chew their nails and hope for the best, some taking it better than others.

Needless to say, nerves were pulled taut, emotions tangled, and thoughts occupied by various different points of the same problem. The fight that began was simply waiting to get started.

"Would you stop that?" Brian snapped to his younger brother, sitting beside Di on the couch next to him.

Mart stopped drumming his finger tips on the table to look irritably at his older brother. "Does it bother you?" Mart asked, beginning to tap more insistently on the table.

Trixie took a deep breath. "Would you guys just stop it?" she asked, her train of thought broken by the lapse in silence brought on by her squabbling brothers.

"Why does it matter?" Brian asked, his voice coming out sharper than intended.

Trixie looked disbelievingly at her brother. "Are you just giving up hope, Brian Belden?" He didn't respond. "Because it does matter, okay? Just because things aren't normal doesn't mean that nothing's going to—"

"Be alright?" suggested Mart tiredly. "Because things don't seem alright to me, do they?"

"Stop being so pessimistic," Dan said, looking annoyed at his otherwise best friend. "It's not the end of the world."

Mart looked incredulously at Dan. "Maybe your parent's weren't poisoned, Dan, but that doesn't mean—"

Dan laughed mirthlessly. "My _parents_?" He shook his head in disbelief. "In case you haven't forgotten, my parents are _dead_. The closest thing I have to a family are my uncle and the game keeper, so I wouldn't be so quick to—"

"Look at ourselves!" interjected Honey. "We're already fighting and this thing hasn't even started." Brian opened his mouth to object. "And don't pretend we don't all know that it damn well hasn't," she silenced sharply.

"Honey's right," Di said quietly. "This thing has just begun. If we don't try to get along now, then how are we ever going to get through it?"

"I vote we have an emergency Bob-White meeting," Jim said suddenly.

"I second the notion," Trixie said, exchanging a decided look with her co-president, seated at her right.

Dan sighed. "We can't go to the clubhouse, so are we just going to have it here?"

"Why not?" Jim asked. "It's not like we have anything better to do than sit here and twiddle our thumbs."

Dan looked at Trixie, having noticed that she had been in very deep thought before the interruption. "It looked like your girlfriend was doing some serious thinking about the case, so I don't think we were _all_ sitting by idly."

Seemingly not having heard the actual point of Dan's comment, Brian, Jim, and Trixie all blurted out something along the lines of "She's not my girlfriend," the Beldens having fit the phrase to their own situations.

Dan rolled his eyes. "Whatever, you know what I mean."

Trying to quell his red face, Jim looked at Trixie. "What did you come up with?" he asked, not looking her directly in the face.

"I've got some ideas," she said, frowning. "But you guys aren't going to like or agree with any of the theories I have."


	16. An Official Bob-White Meeting

Thank you to Jimtrix, one of my most loyal guest followers. And thanks to daisyxduck, who contributes some of the best constructive reviews ever. You guys make me want to write so much more!

* * *

"As co-president, I hereby commence this meeting to a start." Jim looked at Trixie. "Does my co-president agree with the notion?" he asked tentatively.

Trixie couldn't help it when her lips tilted up in a small smile, a tribute to the chivalrous and unassuming ways of one Jim Frayne. "I second the notion," she said, casting a quick glance at Jim before looking at the rest of the Bob-Whites.

"All right," Jim began. "How about we start from the very beginning?"

Heads nodded all around.

"Summer just started," began Di wistfully, "and we began by celebrating the evening with a barbeque at Crabapple Farm."

"We played volleyball," suggested Brian.

"And we beat you guys," Dan added.

"Then we nourished ourselves with delicious eats as we all contributed to a stimulating conversation," Mart said.

Both Jim and Trixie snorted at that. "Conversation, sure," Trixie muttered before adding a piece of information for herself. "Then we lay on the Wheeler's lawn," she said, trying to hide her blush when she remembered what happened between her and Jim at that point in time.

"And Trixie and Jim held hands on the Wheeler's lawn," Dan muttered loud enough only for said couple to hear.

Blushing bright red, they both shot Dan a look before trying to ignore the questioning looks of everyone else who didn't hear Dan's words.

"Then we went back to Crabapple Farm," Jim said hurriedly, pretending not see everyone's curious looks.

"And we found our parents at home, supposedly drunk," expanded Trixie said, also ignoring the looks of confusion everyone was passing them. Dan's smirk didn't help either.

"Supposedly," Mart commented, frowning at Trixie's comment.

"Do you guys think that they were actually drunk?" Di asked.

"I think that they might have been a little bit drunk," said Trixie. "Because if it was just poison than I don't think that they would have been so strange after that."

"I agree," said Jim. "If it was just poison, they would have been knocked straight out flat."

Brian nodded. "Since their still… alive," he swallowed heavily. "They were only given a small dose."

Dan nodded in understanding. "Isn't the fatal does something like two milligrams per kg of body weight?"

"One point five," Brian and Jim said at the same time, casting each other grudging smiles after they had repeated each other's sentences.

"So if they're still alive that means that they were given really small doses?" Di said hopefully.

"Yeah," said Dan. "But there's still so many questions," he said, frowning. "Like 'what do those needles have to do with it?'"

"And," Honey started, "How did they get the cyanide in them?" She looked around thoughtfully. "My best guess is the alcohol. Someone must have contaminated it."

Trixie nodded, not looking at her friend fully. Trixie wasn't one to hold grudges, but at the moment, she was still a bit miffed at her usually sweet and peaceful friend's lash out a while ago. Trixie couldn't blame her, though. She would be frustrated if Honey wasn't telling her things, too.

"I think that guessing they put it in the alcohol is the best bet," Brian agreed.

"But the real question," Trixie started before having Jim finish her thought,

"Is 'Who is they?'" Jim said, looking at Trixie for conformation.

She nodded in agreement. "Whoever _they_ is," she said, managing to tear her gaze away from Jim's holding stare, "I think that they are the key to solving this case."

"Solving this case?" Brian asked, his brow furrowed. "I thought Sergeant Molinson made it clear that we aren't to get involved." He looked seriously at his sister.

Trixie seemed unfazed. "He did." A small, conspiratorial smile passed her lips. "That is," she said, "unless something happened to us directly or we stumbled across something without looking for it."

Jim stretched back on the couch, a small sound of amusement passing his lips. "You really don't quit do you?" he asked with a smile.

"What?" she asked innocently. "I'm simply following the sergeant's exact orders."

Jim grinned, and she grinned back, and for once, she knew that this time he was completely, one hundred percent on her side.


	17. Police Interviews

I would like to dedicate this chapter to daisyxduck, who is by far the most passionate Trixie Belden fan I have ever known. Who else would type out entire passages of Trixie Belden books just to prove her point to me? (A good point, I might add ;) ) So thank you x1000 to you, and also thanks to all reviewers and readers. (Although if you are reading I hope your reviewing!) :)

* * *

"All right," Sergeant Molinson said to the group in front of him that consisted of the Bob-Whites, Dr. Ferris, Regan, and Miss Trask, who had just arrived back from dropping Bobby at the Lynch's house. It was decided amongst Di and those at her house that an arrangement could be made for a temporary stay of Bobby at the Lynch's house, especially given the circumstances.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" he said, looking unhappily at the group in front of him. He bet that no teenagers in the world had been involved in as many crimes as these ones have. And he also thought that, ironically, even most police officers had never been involved in as many arrests as these youngsters were.

"How are our parents?" Di asked bluntly, noting that Dr. Ferris was amongst those present.

Sergeant Molinson gestured impatiently at the doctor to relieve his findings.

"Well," the middle-aged doctor started, "You guys were right about the cyanide." He looked at them grimly. "Do any of you know how many milligrams it takes to kill a human?"

He wasn't expecting all Bob-Whites to say "1.5" at the same time.

Too concerned to be surprised yet too interested to be weary, he gave a slight nod of approval. "Anyone care to guess the average amount that your parents had ingested?"

The teens looked around sceptically, nobody wanting to guess.

"One milligram."

Brian and Jim both gave collective gasps. "A whole milligram?" Brian asked, looking startled at the doctor.

Jim looked equally troubled. "But that means they're going to be out for a whole…" he faded off, doing the calculations in his head. He and Brian exchanged knowing looks.

"Yes," Dr. Ferris agreed, "A whole lot of time. It's lucky the doses were that size, because any bigger and they would have been dead hours ago."

Seeing the confused looks on their faces, he started to explain. "A lethal dose of cyanide can leave the consumer dead after fifteen minutes of being unconscious. With the dose administered to your parents, they might have been dead in a few more hours if you hadn't called."

Di's lip trembled. "Are they going to be alright?"

"Yes, don't worry," he said. "I have given them the proper detoxification drugs, but they still might be bed ridden for a week or two. They should regain consciousness by tonight."

"Cyanide prevents the ability of your blood to use oxygen, right?" Brian asked the doctor, the news fascinating him.

"That's true," the doctor acknowledged.

A thought came to Trixie's mind. "What could happen if someone mixed cyanide and cocaine?" she asked the doctor suddenly.

Dr. Ferris looked taken aback by the question. "Well, I guess that depends on the dosage of each. If someone were to put a very low dosage of cyanide with a high dosage of cocaine, the mixture could become highly addictive, decreasing a person's bodily functions until paralysis finally overcame them before death. Although I'm not sure—"

"Alright," Sergeant Molinson said gruffly, "That's enough." He looked at Trixie. "I know what you're thinking, Belden, and although I must commend your efforts, I insist on bringing you back to the task at hand."

"Yes, Sergeant Molinson," she said quietly, ducking her head so the group wouldn't see the satisfied smile covering her face.

* * *

"When did you first notice that your parents were 'drunk'?" the sergeant asked the group, who were, once again, gathered around the Wheelers' living room.

"When we came back to Crabapple Farm at around nine in the evening," supplied Jim.

"And where did you go that you were coming back from?" the sergeant asked, already writing things down.

"After dinner we went to the Manor House lawn to lie down for a while," Di said. "And when we got back, we found them all sitting at the table, drunk."

"Well, except for Regan," Honey added. "He was looking for a way to get out of there."

Regan shrugged as the sergeant looked at him for information. "Alcohol isn't really one of my preferences."

Sergeant Molinson scribbled that down. "So you didn't even have a sip of any of it?"

"Well," he said, "I did have a glass of wine, but that's it."

Upon hearing the information, Trixie's brain went into motion.

"But that means that the wine wasn't contaminated," she said. "So it had to be the whiskey."

"Back up," the sergeant ordered. "Exactly how many drinks were consumed last night?"

Regan thought about it. "Well, there was a large bottle of red wine, and then two large jugs of Matt's whiskey."

"Did you have any of the whiskey?" Sergeant Molinson asked, barely looking up from his notes.

"No. I don't care for the stuff."

"Were all the drinks finished by the end of the evening?" the sergeant asked him.

"I'm not sure," Regan said. "Once the kids came I found my opportunity to slip away from the group."

"How much of it was finished before you left?" Trixie asked, ignoring the protesting looks from Sergeant Molinson, who upon seeing that Regan was going to answer her question decided to let it go.

"The wine was gone and there was about three quarters of a bottle of whiskey left."

Jim whistled. "Wow they drank a lot. Those bottles are huge."

Trixie didn't seem to be listening. Everyone could almost see the gears whirling around her head.

Sergeant Molinson sighed. "What is it, Ms. Belden?"

Trixie smiled, relieved that the sergeant had finally asked her. "I was thinking about the likelihood about them actually drinking that much on their own accord. Even if they wanted to, they're all way more responsible than that."

"And your point is that…?"

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Since they had cyanide in them, and it's probably not coincidence that it was in the woods _and_ in their systems, don't you think that they could have been kind of addicted to the alcohol if it also had cocaine in it?"

The group seemed to think about it.

"That's genius, Trix," Jim said, already starting to fit the pieces together in his head. "That explains why they seemed to get drunk in the first place. And anyway," he said, "I doubt that they wouldn't have tasted the cyanide, so the reason that they kept drinking was the cocaine- they just didn't know it."

"That _is_ a very plausible theory," the sergeant said, nodding. "But we still have many unanswered questions."

"Like," Brian started, "Why were they in syringes if someone was just going to put them in our parents' drinks? I would have guessed that the syringes would be used to inject the serum into something."

Trixie's eyes widened. "The syringes were all empty," she said, waiting for everyone to catch on. Eyes began widening all around.

"But that means that they've all been used!" Di said.

"But wasn't only a small bit used in the alcohol?" Dan asked.

"Exactly," Trixie said, her expression growing grim. "That means that those large amounts were used on someone else."

* * *

"I think I remember something else," Dan said, the interview still taking place with various questions being asked by the police sergeant.

"And what is that?" Sergeant Molinson asked.

"When we were playing truth or dare last night," Dan began, talking mainly to the Bob-Whites, "remember when Mart dared me to go to Celia?"

They nodded, some trying hard _not_ to remember the events of truth or dare last night.

"Remember when she blew me a kiss and I said it smelt like alcohol?" he asked. The Bob-Whites nodded their heads in understanding while Regan, Miss Trask, Dr. Ferris, and Sergeant Molinson looked absently at the teens, wondering exactly what Dan was talking about.

"She… blew you a kiss?" Regan asked, looking strangely at his nephew.

Dan nodded. "She was drunk," he offered as explanation, causing the adults to nod in understanding.

Trixie seemed to understand what Dan was saying. "I get it," she said, her voice growing excited. "You just need to remember if it only smelt like alcohol or if you got a whiff of something else."

Sergeant Molinson sat up. "That can give us a proper time range," he said. "If you do remember any hint of cyanide or cocaine in her breath, we would be able to tell a rough estimate of when the drugs were put in their systems."

Dan nodded. "I didn't exactly pay much attention at the time, but I could have sworn it was just alcohol," he said.

The sergeant wrote it down.

"Maybe the drugs were only in the second bottle," Trixie exclaimed, her face glowing with understanding.

"That would make a lot of sense," agreed Jim, looking appraisingly at Trixie. "At that point, Celia might have only had part of the first bottle." He looked at Regan. "You said yourself that there was three quarters of the second bottle still there when you left."

"That is assuming that Celia didn't consume any of the second bottle before she talked to you," the sergeant said. "Right now, I think that we shouldn't assume anything."

That's when Dan's face clouded over with a thought, his skin going pale as if he had seen a ghost. "Guys," he said, his voice worried. "Where are Tom and Celia?"


	18. They're Here

Thanks to all the reviews and things. I hope you enjoy the story, and any suggestions of things that you might like to see are welcome. Thanks!

PS. Please, if you read it, review it! Even if if you're just saying that you're reading, it's better than nothing. :)

* * *

Dr. Ferris's mind was whirling, the gears turning as he digested the information that the Bob-Whites had given him.

"Is there a chance that they're— I mean, what condition do you think they're in?" Di asked him.

"It's hard to say. The sooner we find them, the better."

The group didn't want to dwell on the alternative.

The sergeant looked at the group resolutely. "Do you have any idea where they might be?"

The Bob-Whites looked at each other. "They may be in 'The Robin'" Trixie suggested, knowing that the couple lived in the red trailer year round. Trixie received nods from the rest of the Bob-Whites.

"When was the last time you saw them?" Sergeant Molinson asked.

"We saw them last night," said Dan.

"And then when we went to check on everyone this morning, they were gone," Honey said.

"We assumed they went off to…" Brian blushed slightly, "be elsewhere."

"Then I guess their living place is the best way to start," the sergeant said gruffly.

* * *

Despite the sergeant's suggestion to stay behind, the Bob-Whites followed Dr. Ferris, Sergeant Molinson, and two officers to the red trailer parked at the side of the Manor House.

The sergeant ordered his officers to open the door before gingerly stepping on. He, like the others, had no idea what he would find on board, and of course, he was a bit squeamish (although he didn't show it) to go inside the camper of the couple.

Jim, and a few of the other Bob-Whites, knew that in some ways, what the sergeant was doing was illegal. _He doesn't have a search warrant_, thought Jim, even though he knew it didn't matter. It could be a life or death situation, and he knew that it was vital that they got into the camper.

Huge sighs of relief were let out when the group heard the sergeant's gruff voice echo from the inside of the camper, "They're here."

The Bob-Whites, Regan, and Miss Trask waited restlessly outside the trailer while Dr. Ferris and the police team worked inside.

Trixie could hear voices from inside.

"…almost didn't make it."

"Could have…"

"…bad was it?"

Thoughts about what was going on circulated her head. She hadn't had any time to properly think about things. Ever since the beginning of the summer it had seemed that everything that should have been right was going wrong.

She was supposed to spend time with her family and friends.

But her parents were poisoned and her friends were on the verge of fighting.

She was supposed to enjoy playing games with the Bob-Whites.

But most of the games ended up hurting people's feelings or making things awkward.

And worst of all, she was supposed to solve a mystery.

But the mystery was dangerous and those she loved were getting hurt.

* * *

Once the entire ordeal was finally over, Sergeant Molinson had permitted the group to go about their daily business, which the stuttering Bob-Whites could hardly believe.

"Daily business?" Di asked incredulously as the Bob-Whites made their way to the Wheeler's lawn.

"I really don't know how this is possible," Brian said, shaking his head.

"Me thinks, my toasty bristled companion, that we have elicited such quarantined dictum on account of much iniquitous behaviour that has foreseen us here far."

"I don't get how we are just supposed to act like everything's normal," Honey agreed. "On normal days our parents aren't poisoned and there aren't police cars gathered around Crabapple Farm."

"And we're not even allowed to go into our house to see anyone until our parents wake up tonight," Brian added.

"By the way," said Honey. "Thanks for letting our parents stay at your house for the time being."

The Wheelers and the Lynches had been moved by the police into the Belden household with the permission of the Belden children.

"Really, Honey, you're crazy to thank us," Trixie said good-naturedly. "It's the least we could do."

Honey gave her friend a grateful smile. Even if things had been terse between them, a friendship as deep as theirs wasn't going to be ruined so easily.

"What do you guys suppose we do?" asked Di glumly.

Brian looked quickly at his sister. "Besides getting into trouble, that is."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Of all the things we should worry about, me getting into trouble doesn't make the top of my list."

"Mine either," said Jim, returning a smile as Trixie gave him one.

"We should go swimming," Dan said decidedly, raising his hands defensively when the others stared at him disbelievingly. "What?" he asked. "It's not good to worry about it a lot. I know that things right now aren't at all great, but we should still try to enjoy our summer without worrying ourselves to death. There's nothing we can do about your parents right now, so what's the point in sulking around?"

"Dan's right," Jim said, trying to sound upbeat. "We can get Cook to make us some snacks and then go down to the lake."

A few shrugs went around. But in the end, no one could think of anything better to do to forget about the terrible state of things at the moment.


	19. Swimming and Stalkers

Well. I don't know if I'm getting a lapse in readers or those who are reading aren't reviewing. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to add a little suggestion. Have you read the Trixie Belden FanFiction _Link_ by ThoseTearsThatFall? I've read it, and I think that it is a really, really good one-shot. I hope that you guys give it a shot. (And I don't endorse stories that I haven't chosen to endorse myself- the ones that I really like.)

* * *

"Jim!" Trixie screeched indignantly as said red-head pulled her by the legs into the water. She bobbed her head out of the water, sputtering. "That wasn't funny, Jim," she said as she saw his laughter.

"I thought it was funny," he said with a grin.

She shook her head, trying to wipe the smile of off her face. With a sly smile, she said, "Race you to the other side," and sped off, leaving Jim to speed after her.

"Overprotective, much," Dan said, causing Brian to jump with surprise.

"What?" he asked Dan, his face red.

Dan gestured to Jim and Trixie, who were splashing each other with water. "You looked kind of mad while you were eyeing Jim over there."

"Did I?" he said blandly.

Dan grinned. "You did." He cast a sideways glance at the eldest Belden. "And I bet it has something to do with your sister and your best friend," he said slyly.

Brian flushed. "What makes you think that?"

"It's obvious," Dan said dismissively. "You don't like how it seems like she trusts him more than you. Or that she spends so much time with him. Or that they might like—"

"They don't like each other," he said quickly.

"Oh?" Dan raised an eyebrow. "Did either of them explicitly tell them that they didn't have feelings for the other?"

"They didn't say that they did," he shot back.

"Does it really bother you that much?" Dan asked, his voice with a sincere note.

Brian sighed. "I can't help think that it should, but…" He sighed again. "I don't know what to think. I don't even know if they… you know…"

"Like each other?" Dan supplied easily.

"Yeah. But if they did,"

"Which is a possibility."

"If they did," he continued, "Then I guess I don't exactly have the right to say otherwise."

Dan smiled at Brian, who looked back with a grudging smile. He gave Brian a little supportive pat on the shoulder before wading off to join the others, who seemed to be in the midst of a water fight.

* * *

"Goodness, it's hot," Honey said.

"I know," agreed Di, who lay beside the honey-brunette.

Mart looked up at his friends from where he was by the cooler. "Do any of my cohorts wish for me to bestow upon them a carbonated beverage for their consumption?"

Trixie grinned. "Since you seem so very ebullient about it, then I'll have a strawberry pop, please."

Mart frowned grudgingly at his sister. "You do know what that word means, right?"

"Why of course," she replied, grinning as he begrudgingly chucked a can at her.

Without realizing it, she opened the can too quickly, having been preoccupied looking satisfied at her brother. It spewed all over her and she gave a little yelp, frowning when everyone started laughing.

"Nice one, Trix," Jim said with a grin.

"Oh shut-up, Frayne," she mumbled. "You really shouldn't be laughing."

He smiled. "We're laughing with you, not at you."

She looked down at her wet self, not amused. "But I'm not laughing."

She frowned suddenly, getting an odd sensation, as if someone was watching her. She shook it off mentally, having seen nothing as she looked at the woods.

"She's got you there, Jimmy," Dan said care freely, popping open his own can of coke. "You're going to need to stay sharp if you really think that there's a chance at beating Nick."

Having the good fortune of sitting at the edge of the dock, Jim gave Dan a little shove and watched as he fell gracefully into the lake, his pop following after him and splattering all over the front of his shirt as he bobbed up from the lake.

Dan shook his head, water spattering from his wet locks. "Oh, you're getting it," he said, dousing the redhead in a wave of lake water.

Trixie and Brian stuttered, being close enough to Jim to have been soaked as well. Trixie put her drink down, exchanging looks with the two boys.

All three jumped into the lake, racing after Dan with water splashing in their wake.

* * *

The men watched as the group of teens splashed around, their identity and presence hidden behind the thick foliage. Wordlessly, they trudged away, the next step of their plan about to commence.


	20. Let's All Give Him a Hug

Sorry for the long update margins. If it makes you feel any better, I just checked out the first six TB books out from my library- I haven't read them in about two or three years. I thought that since I'm writing a FanFiction about it, I should at least get caught up on them so I don't make my story too OOC or lacking in sense. :)

I got them on Monday, started reading them on Wednesday, and Today's Friday and I have finished the first three.

In other news, I'd like to celebrate that this is my _20th chapter_! This is by far the longest fanfic that I've written, and I hope that you guys are enjoying it.

* * *

"If you guys wanted, you could come to the Manor House," Jim suggested to the Beldens and Di on the walk home.

Trixie smiled sheepishly. "If you don't mind. We don't really have anywhere else to go."

"No problem," Honey said with a smile. It faded quickly. "There are a lot of things we should discuss now that we have time."

"We'll have to catch Dan up on things, though," said Brian, unexpectedly remembering the former gang member. He suspected it had something to do with the conversation they had at the lake.

"It's a shame he had to go back to Mr. Maypenny's," Honey said.

"Well, someone had to tell the old guy what's going on," Jim pointed out ruefully.

They made their way into the mansion.

"Hello," Miss Trask greeted. She and some of the Manor House staff were sitting at the dining table. "I was just explaining the situation to those who haven't heard the news." She smiled at them sombrely.

"We're just going upstairs to… sort things out," Jim said.

Miss Trask gave them a sad smile. "Go on up."

They all clambered into Jim's room, not minding that it was a wee bit small for them to all fit in. They were all too flabbergasted to mind.

Jim flopped down on his bed, whatever fun demeanour he had donned while the group was at the lake forgotten.

Brian and Mart took the other twin bed in the room, in the same mood as Jim.

"Dr. Ferris said that they'll be alright, right?" Di said, her lip quivering. None of them had yet had time to come to terms with everything. Since the whole ordeal started, it's a wonder that they had been able to keep it together long enough to help with the investigation. Or at least not hinder it.

"He said that our parents would regain consciousness some time tonight," Brian answered, trying to sound hopeful.

"I know that," said Di, "It's Tom and Celia that I'm worried about."

Honey's eyes widened. She swivelled in her chair towards Di, who was sitting in another chair beside her. "I can't believe it didn't even cross my mind!" she exclaimed. She frowned. "Come to think of it, all I remember hearing him say was that they'd be alright."

Brian looked at the worried brunette. "I think I heard him say that they almost didn't make it, but they should resurface sometime late tonight or early tomorrow."

Honey heaved a sigh of relief.

Trixie, who was frowning, deep in thought, was given a little nudge by Jim. "What's eating you, Shamus?"

She gave him a tired yet determined look. "What's not?"

He returned it with a little turn of his head, looking at her intently. "What are you thinking of right now, then?" he asked softly. Nobody seemed to be paying mind to them; the rest were in a world where the premier aspect was talking about Tom and Celia and the parents.

"Why does it matter, Jim?" She gave him a small, half-hearted smile.

"Of course it matters, Trix!" he said, sounding a bit exasperated. "Just because things are the way they are, it doesn't mean that we should just give up." He looked at her thoughtfully, still a bit wound up. "What happened to the girl that didn't let things like that get to her? What happened to the girl that wouldn't sulk long enough to let the group down, who always hunted the answer until she found it? It's not like things are perfectly terrible; our parents are getting better." At the end of his rant, his voice was so soft, his head tilted down so his eyes lifted up to look at her through his thick auburn lashes.

She couldn't help it when her heart contracted, and she didn't even know what for.

Not minding that everyone was in the room, or what the repercussions would be, or what her friends would say about it or what Jim would feel about it, she reached over and threw her arms around him in an impulsive hug. "She's right here, Jim," she said softly, her voice rough.

She pulled away quickly, his hands falling from her back where they had flew to brace himself from impact of the hug. She looked down quickly, her face almost as red as his. But the thing was, she didn't actually regret it. Even when her friends looked at them curiously, or suspiciously, or happily, or just plain tiredly, she didn't seem to mind.

She just looked at them all a small smile quirking at the corner of her mouth. "I think that we should look for clues," she said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence that had enveloped.

"Well then," Mart said amusedly, eyebrows raised. "Maybe we should all give Jim a hug if it'll suddenly put us in a good mood."


	21. Maybe We Should

Hi. :)

Sorry it took so long to update. I haven't forgotten you guys, though. (Despite what you may think.)

Here's a new chapter, enjoy.

* * *

Honey giggled at the thought of it, unable to control the little bubble of laughter that came out of her mouth. "Maybe we should," she said, looking from Mart to Trixie to Jim.

Jim's face turned even redder. "No, I don't think that that's quite necessary—"

"Nonsense," Mart said, and mischievous smile gracing his lips. "We could all certainly use some cheeriness in our lives, and since the grace of your touch has captivated dear Beatrix here then perhaps we all should give it a shot." He stood up, walking over with his arms outstretched. "C'mere, Jimbo," he said, approaching the bed on which Jim was sitting.

Trixie scampered away, going to join Brian on the other twin bed.

Jim looked at the approaching blonde nervously. "Seriously, Mart, you really don't need to—"

Whatever Mart didn't need to do was successfully muffled when Mart enveloped him in a giant hug, smothering the redhead in his arms.

Despite themselves, the Bob-Whites laughed, watching Jim fight his way out of Mart's grasp. They were so captivated that they momentarily forgot about their troubles.

Brian grinned. "Seriously, Mart, I don't think that hugging _Jim_ is going to work for all of us."

Trixie sniffed, trying not to blush. "Well, then, Brian, who are _you_ going to hug, huh?"

He smiled at her, reaching an arm out and around her shoulders to pull her into him. "My beloved sister, of course."

Trixie screeched as Brian moved a disarraying hand all over her hair curly blonde hair, finally relenting when she delivered a successfully incapacitating whack to the small of his back.

"Why don't we all just give everyone a hug then," she suggested sarcastically, not expecting Di to launch herself at Honey, both girls seemingly relieved to be in the other's grasp. Mart, much to Jim's relief, got up and tackled his brother affectionately, trying to rub his knuckles into Brian's scalp.

Trixie ended up sitting beside Jim again as she jumped to avoid being hit in the head with her brothers' legs.

The door of the room opened. Miss Trask stood at the doorway, looking into the room at the dishevelled teens. The prim governess raised an eyebrow at the group. With Brian and Mart lying on top of each other, legs flailing around, and Di and Honey emotionally pouring out their anguish to one another, Jim and Trixie sitting side by side on the bed watching the events was the only normal thing in the zoo.

"Oh, Miss Trask," Honey cried, looking adoringly at the governess, "Everything is just so confusing and we are all so strung up and it all started when Trixie gave Jim a hug and we didn't mean to make such a racket and—" She took a deep breath, feeling as though she were thirteen again. She hadn't gone rambling on like that in a while, and it reminded her about when she and Trixie and Di were thirteen and fourteen, a bit impulsive, and as curious as ever. Not that their curiosity had seized, or that they weren't impulsive, but she realized, just then, that she and her best friends had grown up in some ways without her even knowing.

Miss Trask smiled at her. "Start over Honey," she said kindly. "You said something about it starting when Trixie hugged Ji—"

"Oh, she was exaggerated a very small, insignificant detail," Trixie said, and was backed up by Jim as the two stumbled to get a hold of the situation.

Mart burst out laughing. "A very small, insignificant detail my foot," he said, looking at the two red-faced friends. "You two are the only reason that me and Brian were flailing around like a bunch of hooligans."

Brian looked soberly at Miss Trask. "Sorry about the racket," he apologized. "We were just…"

Miss Trask smiled at them. "Oh, don't worry about it one bit," she said. "I didn't come here to scold you, I just came to tell you that I got word from Dr. Ferris concerning your parents and Tom and Celia."

"Is something wrong?" Di asked worriedly.

"Oh, heavens, no," Miss Trask said. "He just called to give us some proper information concerning your parents' conditions."

Brian sat up eagerly. "What did he say?"

"Well," she started, "As you know, he is currently overseeing their conditions from Crabapple Farm as we speak. He just told me to tell you that you should expect to be up there at around nine tonight to see them."

"What time is it now?" Honey asked.

Jim smiled at her. "Maybe you could get a watch," he suggested, checking his. "It's already half-past five."

"And," Miss Trask added, "Tom and Celia will be fine, and you should be able to see them in the morning."

Honey let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "That's a relief. I knew that they were alright, but I couldn't help but worry."

Brian nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Miss Trask," he said, and was chorused by the other Bob-Whites.

She smiled wanly at them. "It's a shame that you kids have to go through this. Make sure you guys tell me if you need anything."

They smiled at her and thanked her as she slowly eased the door closed.

"Do you guys want to do anything tonight?" Honey asked. "We can't just sit around here until we can see our parents. We have almost four hours."

"We could have an early diner and see an early movie in town," Di suggested.

Trixie shrugged. "It doesn't feel right to me to leave, especially with our parents in the condition they're in."

Jim nodded. "I agree."

Mart chuckled and leaned over to whisper to Brian. "Of course he does," he said, and apparently wasn't quiet enough, because Jim threw a pillow at the sixteen year old Belden.

"We don't have to leave to see a movie," Brian said. "Moms and Dad rented a movie the other day, but we didn't watch it. It's a new western thriller. We can pop it in the disc player and have an early dinner. When it's done we can go see our parents."

The group unanimously agreed.


	22. Dinner and a Movie

And here is your new chapter. Thanks to all the reviews. I know that I promised a Jim/Trix surprise, but I didn't give you guys the guidlines for the new target. At the moment the reviews for the entire story are 154. The chapter that I reach 200 will have a surprise in it. :)

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Do you guys want some popcorn?" Honey asked them as they gathered around the television set in the Wheeler's living room.

Miss Trask came in. "Do you want to have some dinner first?" she asked. "Cook has some stew on the stove, and there are always cold cuts in the fridge for sandwiches."

"That would be swell," Mart said. "And then we can have popcorn," he added, looking at his friends.

Laughing, the group went into the kitchen.

* * *

"Does someone want to invite Dan over?" Honey asked, taking a bite of her ham and cheese sandwich.

"Yeah," Di said from her seat beside the brunette. "Maybe he wants to watch a movie with us."

Mart's eye glinted. "Or we could play truth or dare again," he suggested.

"No!" was the immediate reply from Trixie, Brian, and Jim.

"Why, Jim," Mart said, looking at the redhead who was spooning some stew into his mouth, "I could have sworn that you enjoyed that game last night immensely."

"Of course he did," said Honey, looking mischievously at her older brother. "He and Trixie had the best time."

Trixie almost choked on her water.

"What happened?" asked Regan, who came to sit at the table with the group, bowl of hot stew in hand.

"Nothing," Jim said promptly.

"Of course it wasn't nothing," Regan said, rolling his eyes as he slipped into a seat beside Jim. "You guys keep talking about it, so I assume it was bigger than nothing." When nobody said anything, he casually stirred his soup. Offhandedly, he said, "I suppose I could always just ask Dan. I'm sure he would be glad to tell me." His threat had the desired effect.

"Oh, please, Regan!" Trixie begged, looking from her side of Jim to Regan on the other. "It was really, really embarrassing," she started.

"So you didn't enjoy kissing Jim?" Brian asked with a raised eyebrow.

Regan whistled, looking at the two seated next to him with a new kind of interest.

"It wasn't a real kiss," Jim explained hurriedly. "Just a…"

"A peck on the cheek," Trixie finished, face red. "It was Dan's fault," she said, obviously not winning over the redheaded groom who was looking at them amusedly.

"What's this I hear about a kiss?" Miss Trask said, coming in from the kitchen.

Trixie and Jim groaned. Trixie dejectedly banged her head lightly on the table, trying not to hit her food.

"Well never mind, then," Miss Trask said, taking a seat at the head of the table and hiding a smile.

"Last night when we were playing truth or dare Dan dared Trixie to give Jim a kiss on the cheek," Honey explained.

"So that's why you were acting so strange this morning," Regan said, nodding with understanding.

Jim and Trixie exchanged a split second glance, remembering what happened earlier in the morning.

"I guess," Jim said slowly, but the group obviously didn't believe it. They did, however, drop the matter.

"I think I'll go call Dan right now and ask him to come over," Honey said. She got up. "Will you come with me please, Di?" She looked expectantly at the pretty girl beside her.

Di seemed to understand what Honey wanted because before anyone could ask them anything, they were both out of sight.

Trixie frowned. "That was weird."

"What do you think that they're up to?" Miss Trask asked.

"I don't know," Trixie said, looking puzzled. She wondered what they could possibly be talking about that didn't involve her. She felt a pang of jealousy. Honey was usually her best friend. They always confided in each other. Now it seemed like Di had taken her place. For something, at least.

When they came back, the group looked at them curiously. "What was that about?" Jim asked.

They exchanged looks. "I just went to call Dan," Honey said. "He said he'd be able to come in about half-an-hour."

"Nice try," Brian said. "What _else_ did you guys do?"

"We talked," Di said slowly, taking a seat.

"About?"

"Stuff."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Well that helps."

"It's a secret," Honey said. "Happy?"

"No, actually," Mart said. "If you will not acquiesce our request to communicate your secret, we will endeavour to ratiocinate and find out the true motive behind your ambiguous outing."

"I'd try to answer that if I knew what it meant," said Honey with a giggle.

"Oh forget it," Trixie said crossly. "If you won't tell us then we'll have to find out on our own."

* * *

As soon as the signature shooting scene appeared, Di buried her face in Mart's neck.

Trixie, however, was unfazed as the blood soaked into the sand and the screen flashed to a scene somewhere else.

Lying on her belly, she reached her hand into the bowl of popcorn in front of her. She and Jim had drawn the short straws, so they had to sit on the floor while everyone else got the couches. It didn't bother Trixie very much, though. She had a pillow under her and looked intently at the screen as the hat wearing bandits raided the village.

At the sight of the desert, her mind drifted off to her trip to Di's uncle Monty's ranch in Arizona. She remembered the mysterious disappearance of the Orlandos and how she and her friends had to work while on their vacation. She chuckled at the thought. Boy, were her friends mad at her when she volunteered them for that business.

Jim heard her chuckle and looked curiously at the blonde. There was really nothing funny about the kidnapping of the little boy by the masked bandits.

One look at the distant expression on her face made him realize that she wasn't paying attention to the movie but was in her own world. He found himself wondering what she was thinking about.

In the midst of her thoughts she turned her head towards him, breaking out of her string of thought. Seeing him looking at her she blushed and they both looked away, diverting their attention to the movie.

Trixie reached her hand into the popcorn but felt something warm. It sprung back at the same time as her hand, a few pieces of popcorn flying in the air as her and Jim's hands sprung out of the bowl.

"Shhh!" Brian hissed, barely casting a glance at the couple. Some people just didn't know how to watch a movie.


	23. The Mystery Game

I love how whenever I don't update for like a week, I get a bunch of reviewers begging for one. You guys are the best followers and guest reviewers ever. :)

And I just wanted to clarify that I will update till 200 reviews, but only at 200 will you guys get the Jim/Trix surprise. I'm really excited about it.

* * *

Trixie groaned. "We still have a whole hour!"

"Well, forty-five minutes, actually," Brian corrected. "It's quarter past eight."

Honey moaned. "Do you think that we'd be able to go and see them before nine?" she asked hopefully. The Bob-Whites gave a few agreeing nods.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Miss Trask said, looking at them sympathetically. "Dr. Ferris told me specifically that until nine, you weren't to visit." Seeing their dejected faces, she added, "He told me to tell you that he's sorry, but that's the way it is."

"I guess we'll have to find something to do for forty-five minutes," Jim said.

Dan, who had arrived just before the movie started, gave a cunning smile. "We could always play truth or dare again," he suggested, receiving glares from Trixie and Jim.

Regan smiled conspiratorially. "I'm sure Miss Trask and I would love to be part of that."

"Oh no," insisted Trixie. "You _really_ don't want to. Trust me."

"Why not?" Miss Trask asked, sharing a covert, conspiring look with Regan. "We'd love to learn more about you, and I'm sure you'd learn some things about us."

Trixie frowned. "How about we play truth or truth, then?"

"It's not as fun," Dan complained.

"Or as hazardous," Jim added. "I'd rather not play either, but if we were going to, I'd go for truth or truth."

"Fine then," Trixie said abruptly, not waiting for any objections. She set her eyes determinedly on her best friend. "Honey. What were you and Di secretly talking about?"

Honey stammered. "We didn't agree to play!" she finally said, and was backed up by Di.

"Yeah," Di said. "I'd rather not, to tell the absolute truth."

Trixie snorted at that. "The truth."

"Let's play something else," Brian suggested.

"Yes, I concur with my dark-haired cohort," Mart said.

Trixie's eyes widened happily. "Let's play the mystery game!"

A few sarcastic groans and chuckles went around.

"Of course," Regan said to himself. "The mystery game."

"How do you play, Trix?" Jim asked. Anything was better than Truth or Dare. Or truth or truth for that matter.

"Well," she started. "You first pick a crime, or the beginnings of a mystery."

"How about the one we're in right now," suggested Miss Trask dryly.

"Actually, that one's perfect for this game. We don't have a suspect or anything yet, so it'll work.

"The first person has to make an assumption, like the criminal or the motive or something. Then we keep adding on. But you aren't allowed to contradict what someone else said. You just have to build up. Then we have a perfectly solved case and criminal profile."

"I'll start," said Honey excitedly. "They, whoever they are, did it for revenge. One of our parents might have accidently done something to get them really mad at them and then they were poisoned for revenge."

"I'd rather say they did it to get our famous detective out of the way," said Jim. "Maybe they thought it would stall us so we wouldn't be able to interrupt their plans."

"You're not allowed to contradict her idea," reminded Di.

"And I'm not a famous detective," Trixie said with a red face. She was shy when it came to being praised, and it made her especially red when it came from Jim.

"Right," Dan said slyly.

"I actually like Jim's motive better. I changing mine to that one instead," Honey said with a giggle.

"I'll go next," Di said.

"Then we can go around in the circle," Brian suggested, making a circular motion around the room.

"The people who did it are…" Di thought for a moment. "There is a group of them. They are conspiring against all of the people in Sleepyside," she said mysteriously.

The group burst out laughing. "Wow, Di," Regan said. "That is a… wonderful theory."

Di gave a little theatrical bow. "Why thank you."

"I shall endeavour to continue on with our ludicrous examples of possible candidates in our little investigation of this transgression." Mart pretended to think. "The people who have orchestrated such atrocities are two in number; one of the male species and the other of the opposite."

"They were brother and sister," Brian said, as it was his turn next, "the sister the younger one."

"They are from China," Miss Trask said, earning strange looks, "And their parents died when they were four and seven, putting them in the care of their mentally unstable grandmother."

"They came to Sleepyside about four years ago," continued Dan, "and have been putting the finishing touches on their masterplan for all these years, but have now found out that it is time for them to put their plan into action."

It was Trixie's turn next, and all eyes went on the resident detective in expectation. "After drugging the whole of Sleepyside, they are going to loot all of the banks and the stores and drive upstate to fly back to China and pay for a cure for their insane grandma, who they love very much. They decided to drug Sleepyside to get money, but also because the person that killed their parents was from Sleepyside."

The group burst out laughing once more.

Giggling, Honey continued. "And as we speak, Sarah and Billy Cho are drugging some other poor family in Sleepyside."

"They are crime professionals," Di said sombrely. "They wipe down everything they touch so that they won't leave any finger marks behind."

They continued to play, and by the end, they had an absolutely ridiculous case on their hands.

Absently, Jim checked his watch. His eye popped out of his head, realization dawning him. "Guys?" he started expectantly. "It's five to nine."


	24. Visiting Time

My god, you guys are the best. It's amazing how many people have reviewed to say that they want to get to 200 reviews. This one doesn't have the JimTrix surprise, but they get to see their parents, so I hope you like it. :)

* * *

"They're upstairs," Dr. Ferris told the Belden children after directing Di, Jim and Honey to their parents. "They're expecting you."

Trixie and her older brothers raced upstairs to their parent's room, which was ajar, light flowing through the crack in the door.

As they approached, they found themselves slowing down. They walked slowly into the room, looking expectantly at their parents' bed. They found two tired faces smiling back at them.

Trixie launched herself at her mother first, burying her face in her neck. "Oh, Moms," she whispered, looking at her mother sadly. "How are you feeling?"

Helen Belden smiled at her daughter. "I'm alright, honey." She stroked Trixie's hair. "How are you guys doing? How's Bobby?"

"We're doing okay," she started. "Di said we could keep Bobby at her house with the twins, because with all of the police and everything going on around here he was getting really worried."

"I'll have to thank Mrs. Lynch," Helen said with a small smile. "Maybe you can bring him over tomorrow to say hi."

Trixie smiled. "The rest of us are okay. We've been worried sick with everything that has been going on. We've all been waiting to see you guys ever since we learnt about…" she trailed off.

"Oh, sweety, it's alright. We're going to be okay, don't worry."

Trixie shook her head. "I just can't believe someone would do this. And Sergeant Molinson won't let us help with anything, and—"

"Trixie," her mother said, surprisingly sternly. "I don't want you to get involved in this one, okay?" She looked strictly at her daughter.

"I know, Moms," she said. "Everyone else has told me the same thing. I know that it's really dangerous."

Her mom sat back, evidently satisfied. With one last kiss on her head, Trixie went to see her father.

"Trixie," her father moaned into her curls. "How's my princess?"

Trixie flung her arms around her dad's neck. "Are you okay, Daddy?"

"I'm fine, darling. Just a little tired."

Trixie's face turned hard. "I hope they find out who did this," she said. "Why anyone would want to hurt you I have no idea."

"Just promise me that you'll stay safe." He looked at his daughter expectantly, wanting the same thing as his wife; for their children to say away from this mystery, no matter how tempting it was.

"I promise, Daddy."

* * *

It was after talking more with their parents when Honey's face popped through the door of the room. After politely greeting the Belden parents, she looked expectantly at her fellow Bob-Whites. "My parents asked to talk to you guys, if you wouldn't mind."

The Beldens uttered their final partings before going downstairs to see the Wheelers and the Lynches.

Honey and Di had finished seeing their parents and were heading upstairs as the Beldens came down. Dan, Regan, and Miss Trask were also paying their respects to the ill parents, and were going upstairs to see the Beldens with Honey and Di.

The Beldens youngsters entered the living room, which had been recreated into a hospital room with cots and pillows and blankets scattered around the Wheelers and Lynches. Dr. Ferris said that it would be ideal if all of them could have just been taken to the hospital, but after more considerations, they decided that the Belden household would be sufficient.

At the moment, Dr. Ferris and the four other nurses and staff that had come to help were discussing something in the kitchen, preparing and planning while the Bob-Whites were visiting their parents.

When the Beldens entered the living room, Jim and his father finished discussing something. Jim looked at the Bob-Whites, gave them a tired yet friendly smile and walked upstairs, brushing hands with Trixie as he passed. Whether it was accidental or on purpose, nobody but Trixie seemed to notice.

Cooling her rapidly growing flush, she turned her attention to the Wheelers along with her brothers.

Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were smiling at them. "We really appreciate you letting us use your house. We know it might be a bit strange."

"Don't even worry about it," Trixie said.

"Yeah," said Brian. "Stay for as long as you want. We're all family, so this house is your house."

Matthew looked gratefully at the eldest Belden. "Thanks, Brian." He was used to the maturity and hospitality of all of the Bob-Whites. They were the best bunch of kids in all of New York.

Trixie noticed that Mrs. Wheeler seemed to have taken and interest in her. She looked curiously at Trixie and glanced at Trixie's hand. It took Trixie a minute to figure it out, and when she did she blushed. Someone _had_ noticed when Jim brushed her hand.

"And feel free to stay at our place, too," Mr. Wheeler was saying. "We've taken over your house, so take over ours."

The Belden's said their thanks and went to see the Lynches, who also thanked them for the hospitality. They also made plans so that Bobby would stay there for as long as they needed.

Despite the protests, Dr. Ferris chased them out of the house, promising to let them pop in again in the morning.


	25. Love Life

Just a few more reviews, guys! Just a few more. (Just a few more, for those of you who didn't hear it the first few times.) Actually, just six more. SIX MORE! Then you get your big surprise. Surprise surprise. Who knows, maybe that surprise may have a new twist in the mystery in it, too. Well, here is a sort of filler chapter, because I feel like teasing Jim and Trix.

SIX MORE. And let me just say that I'm NOT going to be writing another chapter besides the super-awesome-really-long-surprise-mystery-romance one. So. Six more reviews before any of you are getting another chapter. And if I don't get them, I will personally either PM you and dog you into reviewing one more review each, or write them myself. Whichever one will make you guiltier.

-Ayisha

* * *

"And here we are again," Honey said, looking at her friends from her seat against the couch beside Trixie. It wasn't the Belden household, but they were seated by the same people that it seemed as it had when they played truth or dare the other night.

"We are _not _playing truth or dare again," Jim said adamantly. Trixie nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Please," Dan scoffed. "You guys _love_ that game."

"In your dreams," Jim shot back.

"We could just go to sleep," Brian said with a yawn. "It _has_ been a long day."

"Boring," Dan said. He looked conspiratorially at the girls. "Do you guys wanna tell secrets?" he asked, his voice with a slightly feminine touch to it.

Honey and Di sat forward enthusiastically, playing along with the ruse. "You first!" Di said, looking expectantly at Dan.

He shook his head, his voice still conspiratorial. "No, you go first."

"Okay, I'll go first," Di agreed, looking excitedly from Dan to Honey. "I think that Jim and Tri—"

She was interrupted by a pillow thrown and her by Jim. At the same time, Trixie's eyes widened.

"Oh my god!" she started. "That's what your secret was!" Everyone could see the gears turning in her head. "At dinner when you guys were all suspicious when you went to go and call Dan, that's what you guys were making a big deal about. I even remember you guys talking about us when we were horse riding this morning. You guys were worried about me and you wanted to find out what was going on between me and Jim. I told you it was nothing." Trixie blushed at the memory. "And it _is_ nothing," she insisted.

"Okay, fine, Trix," Honey said, smiling ruefully at her best friend. "You got us."

"Yeah," Di said indignantly. "We might as well not even try to keep secrets from you, because you'll just figure them out anyway."

"Wow," Brian said. "And I thought it was something big like the world ending."

"It _is_ big," Di said matter-of-factly. "Trixie and Jim's love life is something that we should all be very worried about."

Trixie's face turned redder than Jim' hair.

"I _don't_ have a love life," Trixie insisted. "But of course, I can't say the same for Mr. Frayne."

"Oh, please," Dan said, his eye glinting mischievously. "If you don't have a love life, then Jim doesn't have a love life."

Jim rolled his eyes, trying to calm down his red face. "First of all, my 'love life' is something that you guys shouldn't really care about."

"Trixie does," Honey said.

"I do not!" Trixie insisted. "If Jim wanted to date someone, I wouldn't care." She sniffed.

Jim smiled a little. "You sure about that?"

Trixie frowned at him. "Positive. And anyway, you've already been to collage for a year, so who knows. You might have a few girlfriends that we don't know about."

Dan grinned at Trixie. "You seem positive that he's able to _get_ a girlfriend."

Trixie buried her head in her hands.

Brian looked like he was going to come to the rescue, but once he spoke Trixie realized he was in on it with everyone else. "Don't worry, Trix. I'm his roomie, remember? And I can assure you that he isn't dating anyone."

Trixie found the ideal opportunity to turn the tables onto her best friend for all of the teasing. "How about _you_, Brian? I'm sure Honey would really like to know."

Brian flashed Honey a smile. "Don't worry, Honey. I'm still single."

Dan whistled as Honey buried her head in her hands. "I don't like you, Brian, okay?" she told him, and just received a smile and an "I know," from the eldest Bob-White.

"I'm going to sleep," Trixie said, yawning and walking to the stairs. "It's been a long day."

"Jim'll miss you!" Dan called as the curly blonde walked up the stairs, and she was out of view just as the pillow reached Dan's face.


	26. Crack This Case Wide Open

HERE IT IS! For those of you who can restrain yourselves long enough to read the author's note, I just wanted to thank you. I've reached 200 reviews. I started writing the chapter right after the other one, expecting to get enough time to write it before I reached 200. Halfway through the chapter, I reached 200, and when it was done, I was at like 212. People kept updating, not realizing that I'd already reached 200. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.

-Ayisha

* * *

After a quick breakfast before running off to visit their parents again in the morning, the group elected to go to the police station to get the latest updates in the case.

"Do you think that they'll tell us anything?" Honey asked as they entered the station and asked for Sergeant Molinson.

"He might if you ask nicely," the sergeant said, coming out of his office to meet the group.

Trixie looked at him pleadingly. "Oh, please, Sergeant Molinson, can you _please_ tell us?"

He gave a small amused smile. "Come in, all of you," he said, gesturing to his office.

When they were all in the office, none of them wasted time sitting down, partly because there was only two chairs and none of them wanted to exclude the others.

"So," the sergeant started, seeming to enjoy the eagerly anticipating looks of the youngsters in front of him. "I was actually just going to call you with the latest update," he said, taking a breath before delivering the big news. "We found some fingerprints on the syringes," he said. "And we have confirmed that the syringes indeed contained a mix of cyanide and cocaine, and the same substance was given to your parents, most likely through a drink, as we had thought. And," he said, watching the Bob-Whites hang onto his every word, "We have managed to find a source to the fingerprints."

The group looked at him disbelievingly.

It was Trixie who spoke first. "Well then, case closed! Fingerprints are indisputable evidence; the courts will _have_ to consider it!"

The sergeant gave her a tired smile. "Ah, I wish it were that simple, Trixie. But you see, we _have _traced the prints, but the thing is, the people whose fingers they came from died four years ago."

The group looked at him with their mouths wide open. "But that's…"

"Impossible, yes." He sighed. "However, we have also determined that the fingerprints are _very_ old, so it is possible that the syringes were prepared years ago and then recently handled so carefully so as not to destroy these prints. They may not have even been handled at all; the criminals might have just transported the box, and then made sure to wipe down the box, which would make sense, because there aren't any fingerprints on the box; only the syringes."

"But then how did they use them?" Honey asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." He shrugged.

"Unless they didn't use the stuff in the syringes," Trixie blurted, the idea coming to mind.

"But Trix," Mart said, looking strangely at his sister. "They obviously used it; our parents were poisoned, remember?"

Trixie nodded, eager to talk as a new idea surfaced. "But what if they used the same mixture, just not the same mixture that was _in_ the syringes? They could have just put those there to throw us off."

The rest of the Bob-Whites gave a few half-hearted shrugs, none of them really thinking much of her theory. All except Jim. He looked at Trixie, his eyes wide.

He turned to the sergeant quickly, the idea coming to mind. "Wait a second, wasn't there some sort of big deal about four years ago?" He looked excitedly at his friends. "This crazy family poisoned a large portion of Upper New York, around Albany? It was all over the news a few years back. They used a mixture of—"

"Cyanide and cocaine," the sergeant finished, sitting up in his chair. "That could mean that there is a link between this case and that one. Wait a second, let me check something."

The sergeant started typing frantically into his computer, absorbing a piece of information from his screen before pushing away from his desk. He ruffled through the papers in his file cabinet and came to rest on one. His eyes searched it frantically before flitting up to look at the group, a small smile dancing at the corner of his lips.

"Miss Belden? I think that you just broke open this case."

Trixie looked at him with an astonished look.

"What are you guys talking about?" Honey asked, looking almost as excited as Trixie.

Sergeant Molinson started to explain. "Trixie might have been right, along with Jim over there. Four years ago, a husband and wife duo went crazy and poisoned a small part of Albany. Forty injured and ten dead. They said they did it for revenge for the bomb on Hiroshima during World War II. Their parents had owned a natural herb store, they knew a lot about the body and harmful substances. They had used a mixture of cyanide and cocaine and injected it into meat before selling the meat to several butchers across the town. The whole case was wrapped up and the couple was about to be caught when everything went wrong.

"They ended up dying at gunpoint in a shoot off with the police, because, like I said before, they were crazy."

Trixie's eye widened. "I remember that case! It was all over the news a few years ago. I remember Moms and Dad talking about it. It's _all_ anyone was talking about."

"I remember it too," Honey said. "Daddy had been in Albany the week before the whole thing started, so we were all kind of shaken up."

"I think I remember hearing something about it," Di said, and the rest nodded in agreement.

"But what does it have to do with our case?" Brian asked.

Jim looked excitedly at him. "Because," he said, and looked at the sergeant for confirmation, which he received by a small nod of the head. "The thing is, that case puzzled the police. It was never quite finished. No matter how hard they looked, they never did find the—"

"—box of cyanide and cocaine," Trixie finished, looking excitedly at Jim. She remembered the case well; her parents had been quite upset about it, especially when one of her Dad's close friends had suffered from the poisoning. Thankfully, he had lived.

The rest of the Bob-Whites looked absolutely astonished. "Oh my…"

The sergeant nodded in agreement, still standing beside the file cabinet. "'Oh my' is right. Especially considering what I just found out. I remembered the case when Jim brought it up, and, thinking about it, I looked up the names of the criminals from the other case. Serena and Robert Yokaido."

"Let me guess," Trixie said excitedly. "The fingerprints are a match."

The sergeant smiled at her. "Bingo."

"Wow." That was all that managed to come out of Mart's mouth.

Jim grinned. "Trixie strikes again."

Trixie blushed. "Oh, please, you were the one who remembered the old case."

"I only remembered it because you reminded me of it."

"You're both brilliant, okay?" Sergeant Molinson said, rolling his eyes. "You've been a big help, I'll tell you that." He gave Trixie a grudging smile. "Some mind you got there, kid."

Trixie blushed under the praise. "It's not that; I just like to help."

Sergeant Molinson sighed. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but…" He took a deep breath. "I think that you might be a big help in this case. As long as you promise me to leave the field work to the professionals," he paused, looking sternly at the female Belden, "I'll let you help us out. If you have a theory that you're feeling good about, we'll follow up on the lead and see where it goes. We can do some research and check what we've already got. Only if you're sure about it."

The sergeant wasn't expecting Trixie to rush up to him and throw her arms around his neck in an impulsive hug. She broke away just as fast. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The sergeant smiled gruffly. "Don't get so excited. I only said we'd help you out if we thought you're on to something. It's not like you're getting a job or anything."

It wasn't enough to break Trixie's smile. "Still, it's the best thing. I can't believe it!"

The sergeant shook his head, trying not to smile. "You should thank Spider and the rest of the guys. They were having a conversation at lunch yesterday about how you've solved more crimes than they have." The sergeant chuckled. "They told me I should get you more involved, because then the cases would probably be done twice as fast."

Trixie blushed fiercely. The thought of the officers praising her made her prouder of what she'd accomplished, but also quite embarrassed.

"I don't get what the big deal is," she said, smiling. "I could never have done anything without the Bob-Whites."

They shook their heads. Honey smiled proudly at her best friend. "Trixie, for once, admit your talent. You're the reason that all of those cases got solved. _You_ were the one who solved them, not us."

"Yeah," said Dan with a chuckle. "All we'd do was stop you, and you'd still be right."

Trixie couldn't stop smiling. "Thanks guys." She shook her head, trying to calm down the redness. "But I really couldn't do anything without you."

"If you say so," Honey said, smiling. She put an arm around her best friend. "But you're still super amazing."

"You are too, Hon," she said, smiling at her best friend.

The group thanked the sergeant and left the room, leaving him to look after them scratching his head, trying to wipe the smile off his face. _Kids._

* * *

"Do you guys want to go swimming again?" Jim asked when they were in the parking lot. The sun was beating down on them, and all they could think of was getting out of the hot sun.

Trixie shook her head. "Oh I don't know. I'm too excited to do anything. All I want to is sit down and make a giant chart."

Her friends stared at her before bursting out laughing. "A chart?" Brian asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"What _of_, dear Beatrix?" Mart asked.

Trixie sniffed indignantly. "Of the _case_, of course. I just want to sort out everything in my head. It's all jumbled up."

Honey nodded. "I know what you mean. There's so much info that I can't remember a thing."

"That's it." Trixie put her hands on her hips determinedly. "I'm _going _to make a chart."

Jim shook his head, grinning. "Okay Trix, how about we all go down to the lake with some snacks, pop and stuff, and you can sit in the sun and make your chart there."

Trixie looked at all her friends and smiled. "As long as you guys don't splash it."

She walked ahead, hurrying to the car.

"No promises!" Jim called after her, shaking his head and grinning as he went beside her to unlock the car.

* * *

Trixie looked intently at the large piece of paper in front of her, popping open her can of strawberry pop and taking a sip, squinting hard at the large list she had made.

_What We Know So Far:_

(June 28th)- Last day of school, BBQ at our house.

(June 29th)-We found syringes with traces of cyanide and cocaine.

(June 28th evening- June 29th day)-Our parents & Tom and Celia were poisoned- not deadly – recovering. (Suspected drugs in alcohol.)

No fingerprints on metal case. Fingerprints found on syringes- Serena and Robert Yokaido. (In poisoning four years ago- Albany- they're dead.

Suspected that poison in parents is not from syringes; syringes to throw us off.

QUESTIONS:

Who did it?

Why did they poison our parents?

What other things have they done?

She chewed at the end of her pencil, wondering what else she should have put on the list. She looked up at her friends who were splashing each other and smiled. _I hope this case finishes soon. I really want to have fun this summer._

Although, she realized with a small smile, solving a mystery was usually very fun, to her anyways.

She huffed, trying to remember something else to put on her list.

Just then, she heard someone come up to the drink cooler in front of her and pop open a drink. She looked up. A wet Jim looked back at her, curiously studying her list.

"Hey Jim," she greeted, looking back at her paper. What was she missing?

Jim came around to where she was, on her belly beside the picnic table, her paper in front of her with the pen on top, a book underneath for a hard surface. He lay beside her, looking at the paper that was splayed in front of them.

He picked up her pen, putting in a bracket that she had forgot to add after the word 'dead.' As he did so, a drip of water from his wet hair fell on the paper. She laughed. "Hey!" She shoved him lightly. "I told you not to get water on my chart."

"It's a list," he said with a smile, "not a chart."

"Same difference," she said.

"They are _very _different, actually," he said, dropping her pencil and taking another sip of his Coke.

"Don't go all Mart on me," she warned, trying not to smile.

"Heaven forbid," he said with a smile. He turned his head to look at her. "One is enough; two and we're dead."

Trixie laughed.

"And anyways," he continued, "I'm _not_ your brother."

Trixie snorted. "You and Dan might as well be my brothers. You're so overprotective you could take the place of Brian and Mart any day."

Jim didn't respond.

They sat in comfortable silence, each looking at Trixie's list and trying to figure out what else to put on it.

"Do you have any suggestions about what I should add?" Trixie asked, her shoulder brushing his as she shifted to give him the pencil.

"Well," he started, writing something under the 'questions' section. When he was done, Trixie peered to see what he had written.

She read it aloud. "When were they poisoned?" She thought about it. "You mean, like, which bottle of alcohol it was in?"

"Yup," Jim said. "Yesterday we were all trying to figure it out, so I'm kind of curious."

Trixie nodded. "I still think that it was the second bottle of whiskey."

Jim grinned. "Well, Shamus, you've got detective power in the Sleepyside Police Department, so technically, you could tell Sergeant Molinson your theory."

Trixie shoved him lightly, trying not to smile. "Oh, please, it's not that big of a deal."

"Yes it is; your dream has basically come true." He gave her a small smile, taking another sip of his soda.

"Not really," she said, but then quickly added, "But I'm really grateful. I can't believe Sergeant Molinson would actually do that."

"Yeah," Jim agreed. "Is it just me, or did he seem in a really good mood today?"

"Nope, it's me too." She shook her head and smiled. "He said the officers were talking about me, and I got so embarrassed."

Jim smiled proudly. "Well, you _have _solved more cases than most of them have, so I'm not surprised that they were sitting around and praising everyone's favourite detective."

Trixie blushed, ducking her head. "Well it doesn't _seem_ like I'm your favourite," she said. "I bet you guys would rather I stop sleuthing because of all the trouble I get you guys into. You always talk about how I put myself in danger and stuff."

They were silent for a moment, legs, hands, and sides brushing as they looked ahead.

After a while, Jim spoke, his voice cracking a little. "Then you wouldn't be our Shamus."

Trixie looked at him, realizing when he spoke how close he was; there faces were just inches apart, their breaths warm between them.

And before she knew it, the inch was gone, and his lips were on hers, cool and warm and soft and— short, she realized as he pulled away; too short.

Neither of them talked, both of them staring ahead at their friends who were splashing each other, paying no heed to Jim or Trixie. And they sat there, staring but not really staring, unable to wipe the smiles off their faces, but neither of them even acknowledging the other.

And they sat there, side by side, wondering if what just happened had actually happened, neither of them comprehending what had actually happened at the same moment.

And when just when Trixie's head was about to explode, Jim broke the endless silence.

"Did we just—"

"What just hap—"

"I have no idea."

Jim shook his head, his face slit in half with a smile that he was trying so hard to supress, and before she knew it, Trixie was smiling too.

Suddenly, Jim got up, brushing Trixie as he did so. Without a word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the water after him, swimming away quickly to escape the splashing he was bound to get, trying to remember exactly what it felt like to have someone's lips on his for the first time.


	27. Spill It

Here is another chapter, just because I'm really excited.

Well, also because you might not get another one for a while. (A long while.) In fact, this story _MIGHT_ be on a small hiatus, but if not for a month, then for a week, because summer is starting, and next week we're going to Mexico.

So don't miss me too much, and I really hope I can update for you soon.

Till then,

-Ayisha

* * *

"I'm hungry," Mart said as the group was walking down the path towards the Manor House.

Brian chuckled and shoved his brother lightly. "You're always hungry."

Di went beside her boyfriend and gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder. "He just has a fast metabolism. And anyway, he eats as much as he wants and it doesn't show."

Trixie snorted. "It will one day."

"Well," Mart said, not bothered by his sister's comments. "At least for _me_ it's not showing _now_."

Honey immediately started to stick up for her best friend, but Trixie easily brushed his comment aside. "Brian, your little brother just called you fat. I think that you should be very insulted."

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Oh well. I guess I have to go on a diet."

Dan laughed. "I'm sure Honey will appreciate that."

Honey sniffed, her fair complexion barely turning red. "I wouldn't care a bit. In fact, he could be as fat as he wanted and I wouldn't care."

Honey, Trixie, and Di exchanged looks before bursting out laughing, each of them trying to picture an extremely fat Brian. None of them succeeded without conjuring some fat blob with a face.

Mart shook his head. "I will never be able to ratiocinate the feminine mind."

"I hear you," Brian said, looking strangely at the giggling girls.

"You don't _need_ to ratiocinate the feminine mind," Trixie said to Mart. "It's meant to be confusing to everyone other than girls."

"So you mean to males," Jim reasoned.

"No, everyone but girls," Honey said, as if there were a big difference between the two options.

Trixie nodded, looking as if Honey's point was the most obvious thing in the world. "Mart isn't a male, but he still doesn't understand our minds."

Everyone but Mart laughed.

"Ha, Ha," Mart said. "Taunt however you want, but you're not much of a girl, either."

"Why, Mart!" Di admonished, hitting him in the arm lightly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but your sister has grown about ten times more beautiful than she was when she was thirteen, and even then she was gorgeous. So I don't know what you're saying."

"Yeah," Honey agreed. "Her curls are the most perfect colour and they frame her face perfectly. He face is clear with the most perfect complexion, and her freckles are practically gone. And her eyes are such an amazing shade of blue, and although you probably haven't noticed, Martin, but your sister has all of the right curves since she turned fifteen, so—"

"Oh please, Honey, stop it," Trixie begged, blushing fiercely. "You really don't have to say those things about me. And anyways, you and Di are just perfectly beautiful. Your hair is absolutely perfect, unlike my mop, and you are so sweet that you're somehow even more beautiful." She smiled at her friends genuinely, but her smile turned a bit mischievous after a moment. "It's no wonder my brothers have fallen head over heels for you two."

Di blushed, but Honey contained her red face easily, knowing how to tease her best friend to get the attention away from herself. "Well, there's also a reason that Jim has fallen for you," she said, not expecting Jim and Trixie to turn extremely red and look at each other at the corner of their eyes, trying not to smile.

Dan stopped in his tracks, noticing Jim and Trixie's odd response. "Spill it."

Everyone stopped walking.

Trixie, who had somewhat toned down her flush, looked at Dan seriously. "Spill what?" she asked, noting Jim at the corner of her eye try to look seriously at Dan too. She didn't exactly know why they were hiding what happened at the lake, but she suspected it had something to do with the fact that they hadn't talked about it or discussed it in any way. Even _she_ hadn't thought about it properly. It was all jumbled up in her head.

And who knows? she thought. Maybe Jim didn't even like her like that. The thought, for some reason, made her disappointed.

Dan raised his eyebrow like he didn't believe her. "You guys are acting weird." Seeing her look, he added, "weirder than _normal_."

"It's just the teasing," Jim said, and Trixie was surprised at how believable he sounded. "You guys keep on doing it over and over, and after the other night…"

He and Trixie still blushed at the memory, although it seemed so long ago and miniscule, especially after what had happened most recently.

Dan still didn't look convinced, and neither did any of the other Bob-Whites, but Honey looked at her best friend decidedly and changed the subject.

"Well, Mart, if you're so hungry, what do you think that we should have for lunch?"

As Mart started talking, Honey leaned in close to Trixie. "You can tell me later," she whispered, giving Trixie a 'you-owe-me-that-much' look.

Trixie gulped. She had absolutely no idea what she was going to tell her best friend.

As the group walked back to the Manor House, Trixie thought over what had happened. Had she really kissed Jim? Was it even possible? She had spent the last few days telling everyone that she had _no_ feelings for her co-president, and yet… Well, what had happened definitely went against _that._

Trixie was jolted out of her thoughts by something brushing her hand, and when she looked down, she saw that it was Jim' hand carefully touching hers. She looked up at him, and saw him smiling at her, small and shy. But his message was clear. _We need to talk about it._

Trixie gave him an understanding smile, and they walked the rest of the way to the Manor House close together with their hands brushing, both of them remembering what happened at the lake, but neither of them knowing what it meant.


	28. Meet Me At the Stables?

I managed another chapter before I leave. Enjoy.

* * *

"How was your swim?" Miss Trask asked as the group sat at the table for lunch, large pitchers of lemonade, piles of sandwiches, and a big chocolate layered cake on the table.

"It was great," Honey answered, smiling at her governess.

Everyone nodded in response, some fighting down redness and ducking their heads.

"Ooh," Honey said, remembering the events of this morning. "Did Sergeant Molinson call to tell you anything about the case?"

Miss Trask smiled. "Yes, actually. He told me about your latest discovery."

"Did he tell you about Trixie's big promotion?" Honey asked, looking proudly at her friend.

Trixie blushed. "It's no big deal," she said.

"Of course it is!" Di said, smiling at Trixie. "Sergeant Molinson told her that as long as she doesn't get involved in the field work, he'll listen to her theories if she has any ideas about the case."

Jim smiled. "He said she had his full cooperation."

"That's wonderful, Trixie!" Miss Trask said, smiling at the blonde. "I can only imagine how happy you are."

Trixie smiled bashfully. "I'm really glad. But I also just want this to be finished; I think that it came at too high a cost."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well," Dan said, looking at Trixie. "With you on the case, it's bound to be finished in a jiffy."

"Let's just hope she can stay away from the field work," Honey says, knowing her friend well.

Brian nodded in agreement. "I think that that's her favourite part of the case. Looking for clues and stuff. I think she'd rather get stuck on a roof in the middle of a flood to prove a hunch than sit at a desk with all of the clues in front of her to figure out."

Trixie, Jim, and Honey all shivered at the reminder of their trip to Iowa and the flood that had left them stranded on a rooftop until they got rescued.

"Bad example," Trixie said. "I did _not_ like that flood."

"Or that trip to Iowa," Mart said slyly.

Di raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know. I think that she enjoyed being the object of Ned's affections."

Trixie blushed. "He just thought I was a good shot, which, of course, I'm not. I only made those baskets by luck, and anyways, he's just a friend."

"Like how Jim's just a friend," Dan said, raising an eyebrow.

And Trixie was absolutely lost for words. She and Ned were _not_ the same kind of friends as she and Jim were, but saying that would imply that something romantic was going on between her and Jim, and, even though she knew that something like that was true, her _friends_ didn't know that.

Finally, after gaping for a little bit, she found something to say. "I've known Jim for a much longer time, and we've been through more than I have with Ned, so of course Jim and I are different friends than Ned and I am."

"Of course," Dan mimicked, earning a glare from Trixie.

"And let's not forget dear Dot Murray," Mart said, looking slyly at his sister, and then to Jim. "We all know how much Jim appreciated her hospitality."

Jim turned red, casting a worried glance at Trixie. "Come on, Mart. She was just nice enough to show me around. If you think that anything was going on in that front than you're sadly mistaken."

"If you say so…" Mart said, taking another bite of his sandwich.

When the group finished their lunch, they went to visit their parents. Miss Trask had told the group that Tom and Celia had woken up in the morning when they visited the police station, and the Bob-Whites were eager to see them too.

After a quick visit, Dan had to go back to Mr. Maypenny's house, especially after the time he'd been off.

After speaking to their parents, the Beldens elected to go see Bobby and bring him to see his parents. While Honey and Jim stayed behind, Brian took his siblings and Di to the Lynch's house in his jalopy.

Upon seeing Trixie, the first grader threw his chubby arms around his big sister's neck. "I misseded you, Trixie!" he said, burying his head in his sister's curls.

She smiled. "I missed you too, Bobby."

After greeting the rest of his siblings and giving a special hug that was reserved for Di, the Beldens took him back to see their parents, leaving Di to see her little brothers.

Once the door to his parents' room opened, Bobby ran to the bed and jumped onto his parents, paying no heed to their tired faces, which had lightened remarkably at the sight of their youngest child.

While Bobby was reuniting with his parents, Trixie went downstairs. She had already given a quick greeting to the other people present in the house, and she had so many thoughts in her mind that she needed to cool down.

As she went into the kitchen, hoping to get a glass of water, she came face to face with the object that had occupied most of her frazzled thoughts; one James Winthrop Frayne II.

He was just leaving the kitchen, but seeing Trixie, he blushed, looking down. Trixie found herself blushing too, and they stood there in the threshold of the kitchen, neither of them saying anything.

After a few seconds, Jim looked shyly at her, backing up into the kitchen to let her through.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I was just getting some water."

Trixie found herself smiling. "I was actually coming to get some water too."

Jim chuckled. "Let's hope it doesn't spill this time."

Trixie blushed at the memory, entering the kitchen and going over to the cupboard to grab a glass.

She paused and looked back, glass in hand, and saw Jim looking back at her shyly, awkwardly deciding whether to stay or leave. Her heart contracted.

"Jim," she said softly, looking at him.

"Trixie," he whispered back, looking at her with such care that her heart leaped in her throat.

With a stride he crossed the kitchen and came to stand in front of her.

"Do you have any time on your hands?" he asked, not meeting her eyes.

"Yeah," she replied, forcing herself to look at him. "It's not like I have anything planned."

A small smile crossed his lips. "Dad wants me to go see Mr. Maypenny for something, so you can ride over there with me," he suggested, meeting her eyes.

"That sounds great, Jim." She smiled shyly. "Then we can talk."

He nodded. "I'll go tell Honey." He scratched his head. "Meet me at the stables in five minutes?"

She nodded, her glass of water forgotten.


	29. Copperhead!

Here's one last chapter before I leave- I couldn't do that to you guys!

* * *

When Trixie arrived at the stables, Jim had Jupiter and Susie ready to go.

Regan was with him, evidently having helped saddle the horses.

"Thanks, Regan," Trixie said gratefully, taking Susie's reins from Jim.

"No problem. I'm just glad that you guys are exercising the horses." He looked at the other horses that were patiently waiting in their stalls. "It's too bad that your brothers aren't here to help with the rest of them."

Trixie smiled at the groom. "Sorry. They had to go pick up Di from her house. Terry and Larry wanted to see their parents as well."

"And Honey was talking to Mom about something. I think they're making plans to go shopping or something." Jim shook his head wonderingly, mounting his horse.

Trixie shivered at the thought. "I don't get _how_ Honey and Di can stand shopping. Why anyone would want to go looking from store to store and trying on a bunch of random things till their arms fall off I have no idea."

Regan and Jim exchanged grins. _That's our Trixie._

Jim and Trixie set off into the game preserve on a slow trot, neither of them speaking for a few minutes, none knowing where or when to start.

"So…" Trixie started, not looking at her red headed companion. "What are we going to Mr. Maypenny's for?"

"Dad had actually planned to head out there himself today because of some business that Mr. Maypenny needed attending too, like supplies runs and such. But because of the situation… he couldn't really do it himself."

Trixie chuckled. "And the old guy doesn't even have a telephone, so they can't call each other and discuss things."

Jim shook his head with a faint smile, thinking about the game keeper. "Dad keeps telling him to get one, because he and Dan are all alone out there, but the old guy is so against any form of technology that he'd probably soon as die than get one."

They rode on in silence after that, not uncomfortable, but not at all conclusive either.

Trixie shook her head, gathering her nerves. "Jim… I— We need to talk."

Jim nodded, looking slowly at the blonde. "I know. I—" He sighed, not knowing what to say. "You mean about what happened at the lake?"

"Yes," Trixie said, "And—No."

Jim raised an eyebrow at her. "No?"

"Well- I mean, just about what _else_ is going on." Trixie looked down.

"You mean like when we talked the other morning in the kitchen?" Jim said quietly, not meeting her eyes.

"Yeah," Trixie said softly.

Jim sighed. "At the lake…" he took a deep breath, not able to start.

"You kissed me," Trixie offered, looking at him fully this time, not caring if her face was red. She wanted answers.

"I kissed you," he repeated, trying to bring himself to look her in the eyes. When he did, he saw her looking expectantly at him, red-faced but bold. "I kissed you, because…"

"Yes?"

Jim sighed, not able to bring himself to utter the words. "God damn it, Trixie. Why else would I kiss you?"

Trixie looked at him shyly. "I just want to hear you say it." She stopped her horse gently, and Jim did the same.

Suddenly, Jim urged Jupiter flush to Susie, so he and Trixie were right beside each other, thighs touching. Trixie looked at him, surprised.

He leaned in and whispered, his voice shaking and his lips tickling her ear. "Because I think I like you, Trixie."

Surprised by her own reaction, Trixie turned her head so his lips brushed her cheek, her lips just a little way's away from his. "Do you really?" she asked softly.

"Yes," she felt him breath against her cheek. "A lot."

She pulled away from him for a second, his face showing shock and hurt at the action, until she put her hands on his cheeks and brought her forehead to rest on his. "For how long?" she asked softly, almost inaudibly.

"I haven't a clue," he said, and she smiled at that, looking into his eyes finally. They were green, was all she thought. Very green.

Jim brought one of his hands to cover hers. "How about you?" he asked, eyes flitting up to hers so his long eyelashes brushed her cheek. "Do you like me?" he asked softly.

Trixie brought her lips down slightly, so they brushed his when she said "Yes." And Jim brought his other hand up to cover hers and pushed his lips to hers, and they kissed, for longer than they did at the lake. They kissed, both turned at awkward angles, their horses wondering what was going on. And they kissed, and Jim slid his hands off of hers and brought them around her neck, slowly and gently.

And they kissed, until Trixie finally broke away for air. Jim let his arms fall away from her and Trixie took her hands from his face, looking anywhere but at him.

They sat there for a while, looking forward at the summer trees, shading them from the sun.

Finally, Trixie spoke. "So where does this put us?" she asked, still looking ahead.

"As in?"

Trixie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "As in what _are_ we?"

Jim scratched his head, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. "People?"

Trixie made a face at him, urging Susie to move.

Jim caught up with her. "Fine," he said, trying not to smile. "Where do _you_ want this to put us?"

Trixie blushed, not looking at him. "I—"

Suddenly Jupiter reared back, neighing frighteningly.

"Woah!" Jim called, but the horse wouldn't be tamed. Jim managed to get Jupiter to move back a few steps and stop, but the horse then refused to move further, backwards or forwards.

Jim handed the reins to Trixie, jumping off to see what had frightened the large black horse.

Trixie looked curiously, and then she found the cause of what had happened. Her eyes widened, but when she yelled "Copperhead!" it was too late, because Jim had accidently stepped on its tail, and its mouth came and yapped at his leg before slithering away.

Trixie jumped off of Susie, quickly throwing both sets of reins around a sturdy tree branch before racing over to Jim, who was sitting on a bed of pine needles.

She fell to her knees, quickly rolling up the hem of his right leg up to his knee. She saw the two puncture wounds from the snake's fangs at the lowest part of his shin. Her face turned white.

She looked quickly at Jim, whose face was ashen. Trixie decidedly sprung to action, forgetting the events of the past few minutes to focus on the task in front of her, the one that could mean life or death.

She thought, trying to remember everything her father had ever taught her about copperhead bites. The last time someone had been bitten was when she was thirteen, and she had to help Bobby.

She thought hard.

"Do you have a pocket knife, Jim?" she asked calmly, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

He nodded shakily, slowly reaching into his pocket and taking it out. Trixie took it from him and opened it up. "You might want to look away," she said, but he shook his head, watching as she enlarged the puncture wounds, trying not to wince.

Trixie had time to consider the irony of it. Jim, the great outdoorsman who knew _everything_ about the wilderness and survival had to be treated for a snake bite by her own ill-equipped self.

As if reading her mind, Jim said, "Don't worry about it. There's no one I'd rather have at my aid than you, Shamus."

Trixie managed a smile. "Besides Brian or a doctor." She looked at him. "Don't agitate yourself; just relax so the venom travels as slowly as possible."

She worked quickly, tearing a large portion of her tattered old t-shirt from the sleeve and using it as a tourniquet because of the absence of a handkerchief. Before she tied it, though, she knew she'd have to suck as much of the venom out as possible.

Knowing there was no time to feel awkward about anything, she took his shoe and his sock off, leaning in to suck the venom out. She was about to when she felt Jim's hand on her shoulder. She looked up curiously.

He looked down at her worriedly. "Do you have any cuts in your mouth?" he asked.

She smiled at his concern, touched. "Don't worry, Jim, I'm fine."

And so she went to it, sucking the poison out methodically for fifteen minutes before tightly putting on the tourniquet, using a stick to tighten it.

When she was done, she sat up tiredly. "Now we need to decide whether we're going to go to Mr. Maypenny's for help or go back."

She noticed how tired Jim was looking and it was enough to jolt her out of her own fatigue. "Jim," she warned sternly. "Don't you dare fall asleep."

His eyes flew open, realizing his mistake.

_Oh_ _Jim_, Trixie thought, but didn't say it aloud because she didn't want to agitate him. _How_ _are we going to get you home? _

"We need to decide," Trixie started, trying to keep her voice even, "how we are going to get you to safety. Are we going to take you to Mr. Maypenny's or back home?"

She thought aloud. "Mr. Maypenny doesn't have a phone, even if he is closer. Dan would have to ride and get Dr. Ferris. If we go home, the doctors are already there." She sighed. "So that's what we'll do. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes regularly, so we might not even have to change your tourniquet." She tried to look upbeat, but the problem facing her imminently made her frown. "All we need to figure out is how to get you home."

She looked at the horses that were waiting curiously, reigns hung over a tree branch. "I can't lift you up onto Jupiter by myself, and I certainly won't let you get on by yourself."

She sighed, trying very hard not to panic. _What am I supposed to do?_


	30. Help Has Arrived

Happy 30th Chapter!

I'm back. Miss me? Of course you couldn't have missed me as much as I missed you guys, but no matter. I just got in last night, and I couldn't write this morning or this afternoon. I started at about six, had dinner in between, and basically tried my hardest to give you totally deserving FanFictioners a chapter. I guess you can call it a 'welcome back' present- one that I'm giving you. So I guess it's more of a 'good to be back' present. :)

Anyway, can you guys believe that we're at 30 chapter already?! It's so exciting. (For me, anyway.)

How was my trip? It was great. The weather was awesome, and I got to see my cousins who I haven't seen in a while. My little cousin is 18 months, and I got to see him for the first time. I had a great time, got a great sun burn, and now here's a chapter. BTW, I didn't forget you guys. I envisioned this chapter about thirty different times, and here it is.

Enjoy! :)

* * *

_What am I supposed to do?_ Trixie sat there, forgetting to let the worried look slip off her face. She glanced at Jim, and despite the fatigue evident on his face, he looked at her intently.

He tried to give her a small smile. "You don't have to pretend that everything's alright for me, Trix. I can handle what's going on."

Trixie shook her head in exasperation. "But I don't know what to do," she said. "We can't just sit here." Seeing his look, she added, "And I'm not leaving you here alone."

Trixie sighed, idly grabbing Jim's hand and she stared down, her brain trying futilely to come up with a plan.

Suddenly, her head popped up, ears bristling. She looked at Jim, who stared back at her in alarm. "Did you hear that?" she asked, letting go of Jim's hand and getting up.

"Careful," he warned, voice strained but stern. "It might be the copperhead."

Trixie shook her head, looking down the trail in front of them where the noise came from. "It was too big," she said, already heading down the trail.

She stopped, remembering Jim. She turned to him. "Stay still; I'll be right back." She looked hopefully in the direction of the sound. "Maybe someone's here to help."

She sped off down the trail. In only a few steps, she came face to face with Spartan, Dan's horse, and she almost toppled over in relief when she saw Dan riding. He slowed down when Trixie appeared, noting her distraught look.

"Whoa," he called. "Where's the fire, Trix?"

She shook her head, not believing her luck. She was barely able to get the words out. She pointed to the direction she came from. "We were riding to Maypenny's. Jim—copperhead—"

That was all that was needed to cause the look of alarm on Dan's face as he rode quickly to where the red-head was sitting. Jim looked at the newcomer with a mix of shock and relief.

Dan jumped off Spartan, holding tightly to the reins and coming to stand beside Trixie. He looked worriedly at Jim. "Did you treat him?" he asked, not knowing exactly what to do. He hadn't been taught to handle snake bites in New York. Much to all of their advantage, Trixie did know how to, and she had.

"I just need to get him home, quick."

Dan nodded with understanding. "We shouldn't take the risk of putting him on the horse. He probably shouldn't ride anyway, and he'd have to keep his foot up. It's too much work and too dangerous."

Trixie and Jim both nodded in agreement. Trixie cast a glance at Jim. "Oh, you're getting paler," she noted worriedly.

"I'll go get help," Dan said. "I'll be as fast as I can, and it shouldn't take too long. Dr. Ferris is already at your house."

He mounted his horse. He gave the duo one last look before he sped off, calling back, "Don't let him fall asleep!" before going as fast as he could to Crabapple Farm.

When Dan was out of sight, Trixie sunk down to the floor, putting a hand on her forehead. "I can't believe how lucky we are," she said, shaking her head.

She buried her head in her knees, heaving a huge sigh of relief.

Finally she looked at Jim, who still sat with his back against the tree. He looked tired, and Trixie put a comforting hand on his.

He smiled slightly at her, eyes fluttering to a close.

Trixie squeezed his hand, a little too tightly to have been for comfort. "Don't you dare close your eyes, Jim Frayne. You _will_ stay awake until help comes."

He opened his eyes, knowing she was right. "If you say so," he said.

She got up, walking over to Susie and taking something out of the saddle bag.

She came over with a canteen of water, passing it to Jim. "Drink this. It'll help."

He gratefully accepted it, taking a long slug. When he was done he closed it, handing it back to her thankfully.

Suddenly at thought occurred to him. "You should rinse out your mouth. You may have some venom in it."

And so she took his advice and walked a little into the bushes, rinsing and spitting out the water. For some reason, she found herself not wanting to do so in front of Jim. It just seemed like such an unappealing thing to do, despite the situation.

When she made her way over to him, she sat down, looking decidedly at the redhead.

"We should keep you occupied," she suggested. Seeing his look, she added, "But not too occupied. You shouldn't move around."

He gave a small smile. "What do you suggest?"

"We could have a conversation," she said, as if the answer wasn't that obvious.

Jim gave a little laugh. "I meant what _of_," he said.

She looked at him questioningly. "What do you _want_ to talk about?"

He seemed to think about it. "Do you want to finish off the conversation we were having before?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye. "I kind of enjoyed it."

Trixie snorted, trying not to blush. "Yeah; much talking we did."

Jim blinked at her innocently. "What else would we have been doing in a conversation besides talking?"

Trixie rolled her eyes, not looking at him. "Ha ha. Very funny."

He looked at her blankly. "I'm serious," he insisted.

She decided to humour him. "Think back, then. You tell _me_ what we were doing and what we were talking about."

He made a pretense of thinking really hard. "I think you were saying something about needing to talk. About something that happened earlier on in the day."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "And what was that?"

He looked like he was trying to recall it. "I can't exactly remember," he said, which earned him a little shove.

"It's not exactly the kind of thing you easily forget, Jim," she said, rolling her eyes.

He looked at her, a bit more sincerely. "What is?" he asked softly, waiting for her answer.

"The thing that happened earlier on in the day," she replied, her eyes sliding up to his.

They were talking really softly now. "And can you tell me what that was?" he asked.

Without realizing it, she had leaned in, so their noses almost touched.

"If you don't remember then it's too bad for you," she mumbled before their lips touched. She was leaning in from beside him, lips pressed against his, and neither of them moved from that position for a while, both comfortably in the other's midst.

They were both too preoccupied to notice anything until and amused voice spoke. "Well, that's an interesting way to keep him awake," Dr. Ferris commented as he approached on horseback, coming to rest as the startled couple broke apart, faces bright red.

The doctor was trying hard not to smile, face evidently amused, despite the situation.

Dr. Ferris took his medical bag and professionally walked towards Jim, just as Trixie jumped up from beside him, looking sheepish. But it wasn't until she saw Dan's face that she was truly mortified.

Despite the dire medical circumstance, Dan was looking disbelievingly at Jim and Trixie, a smile covering his face at the scene he had just witnessed.

He leaped off of Spartan, coming to stand beside the truly embarrassed blonde, who was looking anywhere but the smirking boy standing beside her. He leaned in, his only comment, "It's a good thing that Dr. Ferris didn't let Brian come along, huh?"

She just shook her head, a hand coming up to cover the smile that was threatening to spread across her face.

She tried to make herself focus on other things and ignore Dan's probing grin. She thought about the fact that she shouldn't be smiling. It wasn't funny that Jim had gotten bit by a copperhead. And it was a good thing that Dr. Ferris was here. That was the reason she was smiling, she tried to convince herself. Because it wouldn't make any sense to smile at the fact that Dan and Dr. Ferris caught her kissing Jim. It wouldn't make any sense at all.


	31. Tack and Tact (And Tactlessness)

Hey. So, how do you guys like the last chapter? I hope you enjoy this one as much. (Unless you hated the last chapter, then I hope you like this one _more_.)

Anyways, I might be updating in very slim margins, like a day or two, so be happy. The reason is that this week may only be my free week to write, and I need to wrap up the story.

Don't worry, the chapters won't be sloppy and rushed, they'll be written with my usual care, so basically it's a win/win for you guys. :)

-Ayisha

* * *

After Dr. Ferris had, in all seriousness, properly treated Jim, given him the antivenin, and checked that Trixie's mouth was okay after her first aid treatment (which, at the time, had received numerous jokes from Dan about how she had used her mouth in many different aspects of Jim's 'first aid treatment'), the group rode back to Crabapple Farm.

"It might not be the best for you to continue your trip to Mr. Maypenny's," Dr. Ferris told him. "Ideally, you should go home and take it easy for a while. Read a book or watch TV. Don't strain your leg; if not for a few days, at least today."

Jim took the advice gratefully, feeling the fatigue now more than ever. When they arrived at the Wheeler stables, he thanked the doctor graciously. Regan took the horse from the doctor so it could be groomed, and they all watched as the doctor bode farewell and muttered good-naturedly all the way to Crabapple Farm about how this group couldn't spend a day without needing medical attention.

It was when Jim and Trixie had been left with Regan in the company of a very mischievous Dan that the couple really thought about what had happened. They looked at each other and managed to smile, the same thoughts passing between them, a recollection of the recent events milling around their minds.

_We went for a horse ride. We talked. We kissed. Jim got bitten by a copperhead. Dan got help. We talked. We kissed. Dan and Dr. Ferris caught us kissing. And now…_

Trixie shook her head, trying to supress a smile and failing miserably.

Regan looked peculiarly at the three teens, regarding them as if they had each grown an extra arm on the top of their heads.

"Why are you guys so happy?" he questioned, puzzled. "I would have expected you all to be quite shaken up." He waited for an explanation, which it appeared Trixie and Jim were not going to give. They were both looking down, red-faced, looking at each other at the corner of their eyes and looking expectantly at Dan, as if trying to decide whether or not he was going to say something, and wanting him to get it over with if he was. Both were trying to busy themselves with grooming the horses, but neither of them fooled Regan with their pretence indifference.

"_What_ is going on?" he repeated, looking extremely curiously at the teens.

"I don't even know half of it," Dan said, gesturing in the direction of the co-presidents as he spoke with his uncle. "You should ask _them_." He shook his head wonderingly. "One minute we're all worried as hell because Jim's been bitten by a copperhead, and the next, I arrive with Dr. Ferris to help out and our first sight is Jim and Trixie making out. Go figure."

Regan looked astonished, looking at Jim and Trixie, an inevitable smile crossing his face. Trixie was looking at both of them indignantly, red faced. "We were _not_ making out," she insisted.

"Fine," Dan relented. "We arrived and they're kissing."

Regan looked interestedly at Jim and Trixie, who were not looking back, but were obviously listening. "Kissing, huh?" He smiled at the thought. "The world is full of surprises."

Dan chuckled, a thought coming to mind. "Just wait till the others hear about this."

Jim and Trixie groaned. Suddenly Trixie's eyes widened. "What about my _father_?" The idea horrified her. Sure her dad liked Jim, but when it came to his daughter…

Regan and Dan burst out laughing at the thought. "I can't wait to hear _that_ conversation," Dan said, and Regan nodded in agreement.

Trixie looked over at Jim, who, if possible, looked a bit paler than before.

Regan and Dan were still very amused at the whole ordeal, not noting Jim's worry.

Regan shook his head with a smile. "I've got an idea about Matt Wheeler, but when it comes to _your_ dad, Trixie, I have absolutely no idea what he's going to say about someone dating his fifteen year old daughter."

Dan looked curiously at his uncle, and then to Jim and Trixie. "So you guys are dating, then?"

Jim and Trixie looked at each other nervously. They hadn't exactly gotten that far in their conversation. They knew they liked each other, that was settled, but anything else… they didn't exactly know.

Regan noted their indecision. He realized that they hadn't talked about anything yet. They hadn't had time.

Reluctantly, he walked over to the awkward couple. "You guys go talk," he said finally. "I'll take care of your tack."

They looked at him disbelievingly.

Jim stole a quick glance at Trixie before looking back at Regan. "Really?" was all he could manage. Regan was always so strict about them doing their own grooming, and now he was letting them go to… talk?

Sure it was a very important talk, Jim thought. But how Regan seemed so understanding… a surge of gratefulness welled up for the considerate groom.

Regan rolled his eyes, supressing a smile. "Yeah, go ahead. And anyways, you're supposed to rest that leg, so technically I'm only taking care of Trixie's horse voluntarily."

They both flashed the groom grateful looks.

"Thanks Regan," Trixie said as he took the brush from her.

They both made their way out of the stables, aware of the eyes following them.

When they disappeared, Dan turned back to his uncle. "That was nice of you," he commented, still smiling at the whole event.

"Yeah, that was nice of you, too." Seeing Dan's questioning look, he raised an eyebrow. "What? You think that I'm grooming these horses myself?"

Dan gave his uncle a look of shock before reluctantly going over to Jupiter. He huffed. "That's not fair."

Regan rolled his eyes. "Of course it's fair. If it weren't for your blabbing, then they would have just been able to groom the horses and leave. They'd have told everyone later. After they talked about it. _After_ they groomed the horses."

Dan grinned. "Where's the fun in that?"

Regan snorted.

Dan shook his head in mock disproval. "You're just going soft is all."

"You would have done the same thing, Dan," his uncle told him, thinking back. "You would have done the same thing."

_Actually I'd have bugged them to death, _thought Dan, but he didn't say it aloud.


	32. What Are We?

Last chapter of the day. Enjoy!

* * *

When Trixie and Jim arrived at the Manor House, they found it empty except for the maids and cook. They sat in the living room, both on opposite sides of a large couch.

Trixie turned to look at Jim. "Umm… is here fine?" she asked. Seeing his confused look, she added, "Do you want to talk here or go somewhere else?"

Jim shrugged. "We need somewhere private, but, besides the living room…"

"Your room's out of the question," she began, blushing slightly at the _why_.

Jim nodded, face tinged slightly red. "Definitely."

She sighed. "I guess we'll have to stay here."

Jim nodded in agreement.

"So…" he began, slowly turning to look at Trixie.

"So," she agreed, sighing.

Finally, after a moment of silence, Jim shook his head, looking at Trixie fully. "This is stupid," he began. "Let's just talk. We can't keep beating around the bushes like we were doing before."

Trixie found herself chuckling at the analogy. "We were in the woods, but we weren't beating bushes."

Jim rolled his eyes good-naturedly, fighting a smile. "You know what I mean."

Trixie looked at him, sitting up straight. "Fine then. Let's just talk. How about we start with _what._ _What_ are we talking about?"

"Us," Jim replied easily. "Our… relationship."

"Relationship," Trixie repeated, blushing. "As in, what _are_ we?"

"As in what _are_ we," Jim agreed. "Before, we were friends."

"Good friends."

"Really good friends."

Trixie thought about the trip to Iowa, where Jim had called her his 'special girl'.

"But now we're not… just friends," she said, swallowing.

"Do you want to be 'just friends'?" Jim asked softly, not looking her in the eye.

"No," she blurted, before she even thought about the question. It seemed as though her mind already knew her answer. She hadn't thought about it _that_ much, had she?

"Then… does that mean that we're…" he trailed off.

"We're?"

Jim sighed. "Why is it so hard to say?" he wondered.

Trixie gave a small smile. "I'll say it then." She sighed. "If two people are just friends, then they don't like each other romantically. But if two people _aren't_ just friends, then they, well, kind of _do_ like each other. Romantically. In that case, I think most people call it dating."

"Most people."

She threw a pillow at him, which he deflected easily. "Fine. So you say that we're _not_ just friends."

"I say?" she asked.

Realizing his mistake, he quickly made amends. "I say so too," he said hurriedly. "So, if two people _aren't_ just friends, then they like each other. Romantically."

"And if two people like each other romantically, they start dating."

Jim thought about it. "Does that mean we start dating?"

Trixie shook her head in wonder, trying not to smile. "Do you _want_ to start dating?"

"Do you?"

Trixie looked at him. "I asked you first."

"I asked you second."

Trixie buried her head in her hands. "Why are you so _infuriating_?"

Jim gave a relenting smile, taking her hand in his. "Fine." He looked down at his hand and hers. "Do I want us to start dating?"

"That's what I asked."

"Then, well…" he sighed. "If you do, than I do," he said finally. "So do you?" he asked tentatively.

Trixie managed a nod. "Yes," she got out finally, and when she said it, Jim's face broke out into a wide grin, which Trixie couldn't help but reciprocate.

After a few seconds, the grin melted off of Jim's face. "But I think that we probably need to talk to some people first."

"Some people being my dad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." His face turned red. "I wonder what he'll think."

Trixie thought about it for a moment. "Well, he likes you, no doubt about it."

"That's a start," Jim noted.

"But you're not going to get off that easily," she added, which made his face fall. She squeezed his hand. "Don't worry about it, though. It's not like he's going to say no." She smiled at the thought. "My mom wouldn't let him."

Jim chuckled at that. "At least I've got her on my side."

"And me," Trixie added. "And Mart. And Honey and Di and Dan, not to mention Regan and Miss Trask."

Jim chuckled. "And Brian?"

Trixie gave an uncomfortable smile. "He's your best friend," she said, as if he should know the answer because of it.

"He's your brother."

Trixie smiled. "I think that's the problem." A thought occurred to her. "What will _your_ parent's think?"

"Oh, my dad will be thrilled," he said. "And I think my mom really likes you too, so _you_ don't have to worry about _my _parents." He sighed. "It's only the other way around."

Trixie put her arms around his neck. "Well, don't worry about it too much."

Jim rested his forehead against hers. "It's hard to worry about anything when I'm with you."

Trixie blushed. "That's not true," she said bashfully. "You worry about your parents, like we all do, and when we're doing a mystery you worry that Honey and I'll be safe."

Jim smiled. "Fine. I do worry. But right now, I don't exactly need to."

"Then what do you _need_ to do right now?" she asked softly.

In response, he fitted his lips against hers.

The kiss only lasted a moment, because a voice startled them out of it.

"So it was true," Brian said from the door of the living room, a mixture of shock and amusement evident on his face.

"Brian!" another voice admonished from behind, and an out-of-breath Honey appeared behind him, looking appalled at the eldest Belden. She looked into the living room, where Jim and Trixie were sitting beside each other, a bit closer than they would have usually.

Honey looked apologetically at the couple, although there was a bit of amused interest flashing on her face as well. "I told him not to come, but he wouldn't listen," she started. She looked at Brian and gave him a little shove. "You couldn't have waited?" she asked him.

Brian gestured to his sister and best friend, who looked at them curiously, red-faced at the fact that they had been caught. _Again._

"Dan told us," Brian was saying, "but I didn't exactly believe him. But now…"

"I'm so sorry, guys," Honey was saying, looking spitefully at Brian. "Dan came in a hurry to Crabapple Farm saying that Jim was bitten by a copperhead, and Brian wanted to go, but Dr. Ferris said that they couldn't have too many people. Only Dan could go because he needed to show him the way."

Brian shook his head, still in a state of shock. "We waited for you to come back. Dr. Ferris came into the house and told us that you were fine and that you were by the stables, but when we got there, only Regan and Dan were there, grooming the horses."

Honey continued. "We were really worried about you, until Dan told us that you were fine."

Brian looked strangely at his friends. "He told us that you guys were talking… because apparently—"

"Oh, Brian," Trixie interrupted, face bright red. She quickly got up and walked over to them, Jim after her.

Brian was shaking his head. "I just can't believe it."

Honey didn't look very mad any more, her anger at Brian dissolved into interest in her best friend and brother. "I can kind of believe it," she said, trying to hide her smile. "We've been telling you guys all along."

Trixie groaned. "Please, don't talk about it," she begged, and received incredulous looks from Honey and Brian.

"Don't talk about it?" Brian repeated.

"We're all going to _talk_ about it," Honey said, not worried about her friend's discomfort. "In fact, we're all going to go to Crabapple Farm, sit in the living room with _everybody_, and talk about it."

Trixie and Jim turned white. They started saying a bunch of nonsensical things, but it ended up boiling down to one thing: _everyone_ was going to know, and they weren't getting out of it that easily.


	33. Do We Have To?

Well, here is another one. It is sort of a filler chapter, to prepare you for what's coming next. And don't worry. What's coming next is pretty darn awesome. And you will probably get another chapter today too, so don't worry. And I did say probably, so don't think that's fact, either. :)

* * *

For the hundredth time, Trixie looked at her brother and Honey and begged, "Please. We really, really don't want to do this."

"But we're all _dying_ to know," Honey said, and Brian nodded in agreement. Reluctantly, Trixie and Jim had followed them down the driveway towards Crabapple Farm, and now they were regretting it every step of the way.

As Brian and Honey forged ahead to go alert Dan and Regan at the stables about the most _wonderful_ thing that was happening, Jim whispered in Trixie's ear, "Now's our chance. Let's make a brake for it."

Trixie giggled, but, remembering her fate, seriously considered it. "Do you think Honey will understand if we tell her that we just want some privacy?"

Jim snorted. "In a million years, maybe." Suddenly, a thought came to him, and his eyes glimmered as he looked at Trixie mischievously. "Some privacy, huh? And what, exactly, do you want that privacy _for_, if I might ask?"

Trixie turned bright red. "I—What do—That's _not_ what I meant," she spat out, looking incredulously at Jim grinning next to her. "How do you know I didn't mean _me,_ by myself, huh?"

Jim relented, putting his hands up in surrender. "Fine, I relent. But seriously, they're going to torture us. We should just run."

Trixie looked at him innocently, wanting to get her revenge. "And go where? And do _what_, I might ask?"

Jim laughed, and Trixie found herself smiling too.

She thought about how, all the times she thought about how it would be if she and Jim were together, how she was worried about the possibility that they'd lose their friendship, which she treasured more than anything. With a happy thought, she realized that she and Jim could still be good friends, but she'd also be able to let her other feelings known, too.

Too quickly, Honey and Brian came back, followed by Dan. Trixie and Jim exchanged a look. This was going to be a long afternoon.

"Do we have to?" Trixie asked again once the group neared them and they continued on to Crabapple Farm.

"Yes," Brian said, leaving no room for discussion.

"Technically, no," Jim said tiredly. "We have the right to remain silent, and the right to move wherever we wish within the state."

"Not to mention our rights to privacy, respect of personal decisions, and right to leaving if we want to," Trixie said.

The group laughed. "I'm not sure that last one's legitimate," Brian told his sister. "And anyway, right now, we're kind of forcing you against your will."

"That's illegal," Trixie said half-heartedly.

"And goes against another human right. The human right of not taking away our human rights." Jim looked glumly at his best friend.

"This isn't fair," Trixie said. "Mart and Di didn't have to do this. They just arrived in the cafeteria one day, told us they were together, and that was that."

Dan thought about it. "Yeah, but nobody made such a big deal about them _before_ they got together. You guys, on the other hand, we have just been _waiting_ for."

Trixie looked at him, annoyed. "Hooray," she said dryly.

Suddenly, a thought came to her mind. "Okay, in all seriousness, we really can't do this. There's something else we need to take care of first."

Dan snorted. "Yeah, like what? Your official make-out session?"

The couple in question turned bright red. "No," Trixie said vehemently. "_Not _that. Do you really think that Mr. Lynch let Mart date his daughter without having a conversation with him first?"

Because the point was brand new to Honey and Brian, they thought about it for a moment, but because of the conversation the group had had in the stables earlier on, Dan laughed at the thought of Jim having a conversation about Trixie with Peter Belden.

Jim flushed. He had no idea what to expect from Trixie's father. Because if there was one thing anyone knew, it was that no matter how easy going the dad is usually, that all changes when it comes to his daughter. And Trixie was his _only_ daughter, so this was going to be _extra_ hard. Jim remembered how Dan, Brian and him had needled Mart about his meeting with Di's dad. Apparently, he almost didn't get out alive.

"Fine," Honey relented finally. "_I _wouldn't want to be Jim if he had to talk about him dating Trixie while her Dad is upstairs, not knowing a thing."

Trixie and Jim sighed in relief, although for Jim it was only half the deal. He was still extremely nervous.

"We'll just have to needle Trixie, then," Dan said, as if the thought appealed to him. "After you go introduce your boyfriend to your father, of course."

Trixie and Jim both jolted at the use of the word 'boyfriend'. Sure they had agreed to date, but that was still new ground.

Slowly, the group made their way to Crabapple Farm, some wanting to get there ASAP, and others wanting to take as long as possible.


	34. Parental Guidance

Ahh... here you go. I love awkward moments. They are _so_ fun to write. (And read!) :)

Enjoy!

* * *

"You go in first," Jim told Trixie as they stood in front of her parent's room, door closed in front of them. "You should explain, and then he can just… get it over with."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Sure, give me the hard part."

Slowly, she pushed the door open and entered the room, pushing is closed slowly behind her.

"Hey Moms," she greeted. "Hi Daddy."

"Hello, honey," her mom greeted, smiling at her daughter as she walked towards them.

"Come here, princess," her dad said, gesturing towards the bed.

She walked slowly forward, hands clasped nervously in front of her.

"Are you alright, Trixie?" her mother asked, concerned. "You're pale."

She smiled nervously. "I'm fine. Um, I just came to ask you something."

"What is it, pumpkin?" her dad asked, looking at his daughter, puzzled.

"Well…" She sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. Finally, after a deep breath, she collected her nerves. "I—How old would I have to be to date somebody?" she asked finally.

Her parent's silence seemed to go on forever. She looked nervously at them, and they looked back at her, obviously taken aback by her question.

Finally, her mother spoke. "Why, Trixie," she started, bewilderment evident in her voice. "I would say that you could date someone now. You're fifteen, going to high school now, so _I_ don't see why not." She looked knowingly at her husband, who looked quite a bit more bewildered than Helen did. "But I'm not sure what your father will say."

Trixie looked expectantly at her father. _Half way there_, she thought.

Finally, after looking at his daughter with a dumbfounded look on his face for the longest time, he managed to speak. "_Why_, baby?"

Her mother looked at her too. "Yes," she agreed. "I _am_ rather curious as to why this is coming up _now._"

Trixie bit her lip. "I—no reason," she said. "I just need your answer."

Her dad sighed. "I'd be tempted to say no," he said, but upon seeing the look on both of their faces, he added, "but there's obviously a reason you're asking, and I really doubt it's just curiosity." He gave a wry chuckle. "I saw how your face fell when I was considering saying 'no'. So tell me, sweetie, who is it?"

"I—" Trixie gave a long sigh. "I don't know if… I can't tell you yet, because it won't matter anyways if you say no."

The strain in their daughter's voice was enough to make both of her parents look at each other, obviously thinking the same thing. Whoever it was, their daughter had obviously fallen head over heels.

Her father looked at her long and hard before deciding. "Well, I guess it depends who it is. And we _will_ have several rules in place." Seeing his daughter's growing smile, he repeated, "Several."

Trixie's face broke into a smile and she tackled him with a hug. "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you."

She also looked gratefully at her mom, who smiled back at her daughter.

"Well for heaven's sake, Trixie," her father said, rolling his eyes. "Who in the world is it?"

Almost as if ignoring his question, Trixie thought about something else. "He doesn't have to come speak to you, does he?"

Peter looked almost incredulous at his daughter. "Well, of course he does!" He shook his head, muttering under his breath. "This is what I get for saying yes."

Trixie cast an apologizing glance at her dad. "Sorry, Daddy. He's just really nervous. I think he's actually a bit scared to talk to you, but he knows he has to do it." She smiled a little, continuing with her drabble as she thought about said boy. "He knows that nothing can happen until he talks to you. He's too honourable. I mean, you know Ji—" She froze, clapping a hand over her mouth and blushing bright red.

Her parents looked at her, not being able to hide the little bit of amusement creeping onto their faces.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Jim, eh?" He huffed, shaking his head in wonder. "I thought you said you didn't like him," he said questioningly.

Trixie looked at her parents sheepishly. "I did, didn't I?"

Helen smiled at her daughter knowingly. "Quite a few times, actually."

"Well, I guess I—" she decided to stop, realizing that maybe she shouldn't talk any more. She slowly began to walk backwards towards the door. "I guess I should go get him now," she said, giving her parents one last smile before hurrying out the door. She exited as quickly as possible, closing the door behind her and breathing a giant sigh of relief.

Jim looked expectantly at her. "How did it go?" he asked nervously.

"Well, they didn't say no. And I think you should probably go in now." She put a hand on her forehead. "Lord that was mortifying."

Jim looked dryly at her. "Thanks."

She rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine." She gestured to the door. "Good luck," she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

He gave her a grateful look before taking a deep breath and pushing open the door, shutting it behind him and walking into something, knowing whether or not he would make it out alive.


	35. Ground Rules

One more chapter of the day. I really enjoyed writing this one, so I hope it doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!

* * *

It seemed like forever. Trixie waited, and waited, and waited. She was tempted to put her ear against the door and listen, and she almost did it, too, but something told her that it wasn't a good idea. She was also tempted to go downstairs, where everyone was most certainly waiting, but she knew that if she did, she'd most likely regret it.

And so she sat there on her bed, looking at her chart. The chart she had made at the lake. The chart she had made before Jim kissed her for the first time— Oh Lord, she thought. No matter what she thought of, she just couldn't escape it. The same thoughts just came floating back into her head.

Reluctantly, she got up and tacked the chart back up onto her cork board, realizing that she wasn't going to get _any_ thinking done. Well… any thinking about the mystery, that is.

She giggled. Since when had she become a flippant, boy-obsessed teenaged girl, she wondered? She suspected it had something to do with her first kiss. The thought made her smile, and she her fingers absently went up to touch her lips. So far, she had kissed Jim four times, she thought. Once by the lake, once on their horses. For some reason, that one made her particularly fuzzy inside. Then there was one when he had been bitten by the copperhead and they were waiting for Dan and Doctor Ferris, and there was once in the living room of the Manor House, after their conversation. And she had kissed him on the cheek twice as well.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, which Trixie knew was already open. She looked up and couldn't help it when her heart leaped a little. Jim stood in the threshold, looking expectantly at her, a little smile on his lips.

"Hey, Jim," she greeted, blushing slightly. She got up from her bed and walked over. "How was it?" she asked nervously.

He gave her a small, relieved smile. "I lived," he said.

"What did they say?" she asked, coming to stand in front of him.

He chuckled. "Way too much for me to tell you even half of it." His face turned a bit more serious, as if remembering something. "But, um, it's not done yet. They want us both to see them to go over some… uh, rules." His face reddened slightly, as did hers.

"At least it will all be done after that," she said, trying to look on the bright side.

"Yeah," he said, "but then we have to face everyone _else_."

She shivered. "Scratch that, then."

She looked up at him, and found herself blushing as he looked back. They both seemed frozen for a moment, standing there and looking at each other. Trixie noticed little things about his face, like the shape of it, and how deep the green of his eyes was. She couldn't look away, even though she knew they both needed to go, and she knew he was in the same predicament as well.

But finally, Jim turned his head a little, clearing his throat, and Trixie turned away too. They both flushed a little bit, but Jim grabbed her hand slowly and they walked to her parents' room.

Trixie pushed open the door, and Jim let go of her hand just before they walked in.

She saw both of her parents, each looking back at her and Jim. She avoided looking at either of them directly; because she wasn't exactly sure she wanted to read their expressions.

Helen clucked. "Oh, Peter, look at them. You've scared them both; they won't even look at you."

That jolted both teens into looking up into the faces of Trixie's parents.

"Oh, no need to be nervous, you two," Helen said, smiling at them both. "Although it is very cute."

Peter snorted. "Well, let's get down to business. I'm not going to pretend that I haven't ever considered the possibility of this scene, but, I'll have to admit, I didn't picture that I'd be stuck, incapacitated in bed. So," he surveyed his daughter and the young man standing beside her. "Let's get started, shall we? I'm basically going to go over some ground rules, then I'll leave you in peace. For now." He watched as they both paled, though they were obviously trying to hide their worry.

"I'll just assume that both of you have gone through your sexual education, whether from school or your parents."

Helen couldn't help but shaking her head, a smile coming on her face. "Peter, you speak as if you're not practically a parent to both of them."

Peter cast a glance at his wife. "Well, if I was _both_ of their fathers, than we'd have quite a situation on our hands, wouldn't we?"

This caused a laugh from Helen but just a bright flush from both of the teens.

"Anyway," he continued. "So, again, I'll just assume that. You're lucky I'm not going into it."

Trixie shook her head, mortified, but found the nerves to say, "You're probably just as relieved as we are," with a small smile.

Her dad smiled at his daughter affectionately. "You're right, pumpkin."

He continued. "So, first and foremost. You are not, whatsoever, allowed to, under _any_ circumstances, at all, no matter how much you'd want to, no matter—"

"Peter," Helen said dryly, "I think they get the point."

He rolled his eye. "You are not allowed to have sex. Whatsoever. At all. Am I clear?"

Both of them nodded vigorously, redder than they have probably ever been before in their lives.

He smiled, satisfied. "Maybe when you're 35 you can come and ask me, but until then, the answer is _no_."

Helen shook her head, trying not to smile at her husband's overprotectiveness.

"Next rule. Dates cannot go later than ten o'clock at night, and she must be at my doorstep at the touch of the hour. Got it Jim?"

He nodded, trying to sound normal and not trip over his words. "Yes sir."

"Next. No being alone in the same room."

"Peter," Helen cajoled, seeing the looks on the young ones faces and knowing from experience that that one went _too_ far.

"Fine. No being alone in a room with a bed, shower, or lock."

Seeing the horrified expressions on their faces, Helen tried to stop herself from laughing long enough to say, "He means, to clarify that, a bedroom or a bathroom."

"Um, Dad?" Trixie asked, face still bright red. "You said a room with a lock; does the clubhouse count?"

Her dad huffed. "Fine, scratch the part with the locks. But you know what I mean. Am I clear?"

Again both of them nodded.

"And next. You are to tell us wherever you are going if you are on a date or going anywhere by yourselves. Tell us where you are going, when you leave, and around what time you'll be back."

They nodded.

Peter sighed. "That's all I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure there are tons more. So this meeting is basically on standby for the rest of your lives."

Again, Helen had to keep herself from laughing. "He means that if he has another thing to discuss with you, he'll bring it up."

Finally, Trixie's dad gave out a long sigh, as if he really didn't want to dismiss them and wished he could keep them both under his constant supervision. But at last, he said, "You can go. Just remember what I said. I've got half a mind to make you swear an oath or sign a contract, but I suppose that would be somewhat unreasonable."

"Somewhat," Helen agreed, smiling at her daughter and Jim. She was happy that the day had finally come. She had always known from hearing her daughter talk that it was something inevitable, but having it finally happen was something that couldn't stop her from smiling.

"Um, thank you sir," Jim said. He smiled a little at Trixie's mom. "Thanks, Mrs. Belden."

She looked at him kindly. "For what, Jim? Humiliating you?" She gave him a smile, and after Trixie had bode farewell to her parents, he and Trixie left the room, Trixie in front of him. Just as Jim was about to close the door, Peter called back at him.

"Jim?"

Jim looked curiously at him. "Uh, yes sir?"

"Don't hurt my daughter," was all he said.

Jim nodded sincerely. "I won't sir. I wouldn't think of it."

"Good. I believe you; I know you're a good kid." He smiled slightly at him, looking more at ease.

"Thank you, sir," he said quietly, before nodding respectfully and leaving.


	36. Jim's Conversation With Trixie's Parents

****PLEASE READ** **Hey guys. So, here's another chapter. You're probably wondering what is so important about this author's note that I have to bold alert you that you should read it. The answer is that this isn't any ordinary chapter. This is a... deleted scene, if you will. It is the scene where Jim was talking to Trixie's parents in his one-on-one (well... one-on-two) meeting. Just thought I'd let you know. This isn't a continuation of the story, it is an add in. I was thinking I'd make it a new story on its own, but I decided to put it in another chapter.

~Ayisha

* * *

Jim walked into the room nervously, shutting the door behind him. When he turned to the Beldens, they were looking at him curiously. Peter looked a bit sterner than Helen, who smiled at Jim kindly.

"Well, well, Jim." Peter said it as if the whole thing were inevitable. His words were mirrored with another meaning. _Here we are, finally. I knew this day would come._

Jim blushed slightly at the thought. It couldn't have been that obvious, could it? "Um, hello, sir," he said, standing in front of their bed, trying to look at Trixie's father.

"I guess you know why you're here," he said, looking expectantly at the red head.

"Yes sir," he repeated, nodding. "I—Trixie."

Peter couldn't help but smile a little. "Trixie," he agreed. "And you." He took a long look at the boy in front of him, as if reading every thought, studying everything about him; every fault, every desire, every goal. To make sure that he was suitable to even have a chance with his daughter.

"I must day, Jim, this isn't exactly the most least expected thing out there. I've known for a while, as well as everyone else has, that you've had no ordinary friendship with my daughter."

Jim blushed, but remained silent, nodding.

Peter chuckled wryly, thinking back. "Even when she first met you, she thought of you as 'The Most Wonderful Boy in the World'." Peter shook his head in wonder. "And I know that you have grown almost like siblings these last few years, just as the rest of the Bob-Whites have. But now," he said, looking carefully at Jim's expression, which had remained steady so far, if a little red, "you guys want to date."

Jim nodded, slightly flushed.

"To tell you the truth, I hadn't really thought my daughter would ever ask the question she came in here today to ask, at least not for a few years. I wasn't expecting it." He sighed, as if the thought of his daughter dating someone hurt him slightly. "And now, she has asked, and what I told her was that it depended on who." He looked at Jim. "Who my daughter was talking about, it seems, although it wasn't least expected, was you."

Jim nodded.

Peter sighed, as though strained. "The thing you've got to understand, Jim, is that it isn't easy for a father to give up his daughter, least of all into the hands of another man. So, if I do let you date Trixie, you'd have to know that it is no small decision I'd have made, and that I'd have to trust you quite a lot."

Jim nodded earnestly. "I promise, that if you did decide that it was okay, I'd make sure that you won't regret it."

Peter Belden nodded. "And I believe you, Jim. So, I want to leave the final decision to you. But consider the things that I have to say."

"Of course, sir."

"Well, first of all, there is the fact that you are two years older than her. Fifteen and seventeen are two very different ages, and the fact that you have skipped a grade and are now in college is another factor. You aren't able to see each other at school, and I wouldn't want a long distance relationship to interfere with your studies or your overall friendship."

Jim nodded at the point. Of course he'd thought about the fact whenever he thought about the possibility that he and Trixie could be together, something he'd thought about more times than he'd care to admit. But he hadn't thought about the fact the last day when they'd finally professed their feelings for each other; he'd been too busy trying to make their initial relationship real.

"Another thing that comes with that age difference is responsibility," Peter continued. "I know that you are quite honorable, Jim, but you _are_ a teenaged boy. And I was one too, so I know that there are some things that you may _want._ I encourage you to think about those _things_ when you consider dating Trixie. Because I mean it when I say that some things you are _not_ getting from my daughter. Not for a long time."

Jim nodded earnestly. "Of course, sir. I would never try to… I'm aware of our age difference, and I'd make sure to never put her in any such position."

Peter smiled. "I know you'll try your hardest, Jim. I'm just saying; teenage boys have hormones."

Helen, who had been silent for the last little while, spoke. "And teenage _girls_ have hormones, too. Don't forget that. If she wants something that you're not sure about, you have to remember that you're the older one, and that sometimes you may have to call the shots. But I'm not saying you shouldn't be fair and not consider her opinions. _Or_ make her one of Artemis's hand maidens."

Peter snorted indignantly. "Virginity isn't such a bad thing."

Helen shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Only when it comes to your daughter," she muttered, so only her husband heard her. He flushed.

Jim shifted uncomfortably. "I—I'll remember that, Mrs. Belden. And, uh, the other thing, sir." He blushed.

Peter looked amusedly at the young man in front of him. "Oh, I'm sure you will."

"Another thing to consider," he started again. "I remind you that Trixie had brothers, one of which happens to be your best friend. So, I'd consider it from Brian's point of view as well."

Jim flushed. "Um, I think he knows already, sir. He kind of—Er, I mean- Dan, Honey, and Brian kind of already know." He blushed. "And Regan. And Dr. Ferris," he added.

"Do I _want_ to know, son?" Peter asked tiredly. He was rather baffled at the news that his doctor knew about his daughter's relationship status before him, but wasn't sure he wanted the details, especially because of Jim's red-faced reaction to the facts.

"Um, no, sir, I don't think you do," Jim said, not meeting his eyes.

Peter cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh, well then. I believe I've given you enough to consider, so you can tell me your decision when you're ready."

Jim shuffled nervously. "Geez, sir, you've made me kind of guilty."

Peter smiled. "That's my job, son."

Helen smiled. "Don't think about it too hard, Jim. We all know what my daughter wants, and it's no secret what you want, either. We just want you both to be happy."

"And safe," Peter added, and it was clear that he meant in many more ways than one.

Jim flushed. "Well, uh…"

Helen looked sympathetically at him. "You don't have to do what you think Peter wants, Jim. You may think that he'd be unhappy at the thought of someone dating his daughter, but in truth, he wants her to be happy. And I have no doubt that she'd be more happy with you than she would without you."

Jim nodded, having made his decision. He looked at Mr. Belden. "Well, I really, really like Trixie, and I know that I'd never purposely do anything to hurt her." He smiled softly as he thought about the blonde whirlwind. "I care about her too much."

He snapped back to reality. "And I know that I'm in college, but I also know that I'll want to visit every chance I get."

"To see your parents," Peter guessed, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"Um, yes. To see my parents. Not—" he shook his head, deciding not to go there. "And I know that at first things might be weird between Brian and I, but I know that we'll be able to work things out." A mischievous smile played around his lips. "Especially because of Honey." He decided to leave it to them to interpret what was meant by that.

"And so, I think that, if it were okay with you," he looked carefully at Mr. Belden. "I'd want to date Trixie. If you'd allow me." He held his breath and watched, anxiously waiting Mr. Belden's answer.

Peter sighed, but smiled none-the-less. "You can't seriously expect me to say no," he said finally, at which Jim let go of a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding.

Relief was evident on his face. "Thank you, sir."

Peter smiled. "No problem Jim. I trust you. And I trust my daughter."

But of course, he couldn't just end the whole thing on a joyful note. That would be terrible. So, "But, of course, we're not done yet, Jim," he said.

Jim looked curiously at him. "Sir?"

"Well, we have to go over some rules," he said, as if it were obvious. "But we should get Trixie first. Fetch her, will you?"

"Yes sir," he said before walking to the door. He was about to open it and leave, which he desperately needed to do, but he turned around. "And thank you, sir," he said. And he meant it.


	37. Spanish Inquisition

Une autre chapter! Maybe the last or second last one today. It clocks in at around 1,900 words, so... be happy. :)

* * *

"What do you want to do now?" Trixie asked as the couple stood outside the door of her parents room, still gathering their wits about what had happened.

"Well, you know if you go downstairs we're in for the Spanish Inquisition, right?"

Trixie knew he was right. "But if we stay up here, we'll have to stay in the hallway." She giggled at her father's rules. "Every room up here has either a bed or a shower."

Jim's face paled. "That was _extremely_ embarrassing."

"I think he did that on purpose." She smiled at the thought of her father and the near-death meeting they had had.

"Do you want to just go downstairs and get it over with? At least maybe if we hand ourselves in they'll be more lenient."

Trixie nodded. "I doubt it would do us any good if they had to hunt us down again."

Jim made a face at the thought. "Well, technically, they wouldn't have to hunt us down, because if we _did_ go anywhere, we'd have to give a full report to your parents."

Trixie's eye glittered. "But the rest of them don't know that."

Jim chuckled. "So do you want to go downstairs?" he asked.

Trixie nodded, though she looked a bit indecisive. "Let's just get it over with."

And so, with a squeeze of the hand, they started downstairs, Trixie walking first and Jim after her.

They didn't exactly know what they were to expect, but almost everyone that lived in the Manor House, Crabapple Farm, and surrounding one mile radius crowded in their living room was _not_ it.

Trixie buried her face in her hands when the chatter stopped and everyone looked up at the descending couple.

"Hey guys," Dan called out, sitting on a chair, though his tone wasn't purely welcoming, even though it was quite amused. "How are you?"

They both shook their heads in dread. "So we _have_ to do this?" Jim asked, looking at all the faces staring back. His parents, Di's parents, Tom and Celia, Regan and Miss Trask, all the Bob-Whites, and Dr. Ferris, who, despite how he was acting, wasn't just there to check on his patients.

"Of course you do, Jim," Mrs. Wheeler said, shaking her head. "And after that I'm sure you're going to have some… private conversations with other people."

Dan grinned as the couple begrudgingly took a seat on a couch by the staircase. "Speaking of private conversations, I see you've managed to make it out of Mr. Belden's alive."

"Yeah," said Regan, trying not to smile. "How was that?"

"Well, I lived," Jim said with a small smile.

"Barely," Trixie added.

"Wait," Dan said, "You both had a conversation?"

Trixie shook her head. "We both had _two_ conversations."

The group laughed.

Trixie began. "First I had to go… explain stuff to my parents. Then—"

"How was _that_?" Di asked, trying not to smile.

Honey nodded. "I would've loved to see the expression on your Dad's face when you told him you wanted to date Jim."

Trixie squirmed, blushing. "Well, actually, I didn't tell him that I wanted to date Jim. I asked them if I would be allowed to date _someone_, and even though I tried not to tell them who it was, Jim's name just kind of… slipped out."

"As it often does," Mart said, earning a glare from his sister.

"Well, after that, Jim had to go in. I'm really not sure how that went." She looked expectantly at the boy sitting next to her.

"I'm not sure mortifying quite covers it," Jim mused, earning laughs, and knowing nods, from Mart and the rest of the males who had been through the same thing.

"Well, then he made us both go in for… ground rules."

That earned quite a roar.

"Lemme guess," Dan said. "No sex till your 50?"

"35," Trixie said blushing, "but close."

"And what," Mart said, "bring her home by nine or your dead?"

"Ten," Jim said. "He's not heartless."

Brian chuckled. "Not entirely, no."

Mr. Lynch spoke. "All men are relatively heartless when it comes to their daughters and a boy," he said, and Mart nodded earnestly, exchanging a nervous smile with his girlfriend's dad.

"Well, we know that your conversations went well," Honey said, somewhat impatiently, "but we want to know about how you guys got together!"

Lots of people nodded.

"The only thing we know is that Dan and Dr. Ferris caught you kissing when they came back to treat Jim's copperhead bite," Di said, looking at the couple and then to Dan and Dr. Ferris.

The doctor chuckled. "Well… I must admit that her method of making sure the patient didn't fall asleep was quite effective, but if she does that with every copperhead bite she treats," he looked amusedly at the couple, "well, Jim you're in trouble."

The couple turned red as everyone laughed.

"So what," Dan probed, looking at Trixie. "You realized Jim might die and decided to reveal your true feelings?"

Trixie looked indignantly at him. "No," she said. "Not even close."

"Then what?" Honey asked, looking expectantly at her best friend and brother, "That wasn't your first kiss, then?"

Seeing them both squirm, Di's eyes widened. "It wasn't, was it?"

Trixie gave them an apologetic smile. "Uh… not really, no," she said, blushing.

Everyone looked at them eagerly, waiting intently for an explanation.

"Uh," Jim blushed, not knowing what to say. "When we were at the lake this morning, we uh…"

"That's why you guys were acting so weird!" Di mused. "We were _wondering_ what the problem was."

"Problem?" Dan questioned. "This is more like a finally-you-guys-have-come-to-your- senses moment. I wouldn't necessarily call it a problem."

"Why didn't you guys tell us?" Honey wondered.

The couple blushed even more. "We… uh… didn't exactly get to talk about anything with each other, so we thought that maybe that should happen first before we had to talk with _you_ guys about it," Jim said. "No offense, but you guys can be pretty harsh."

"That's what we're here for, Jim," Dan said supportively.

"Well, we needed to talk, so we went for the horse ride, because I needed to see Mr. Maypenny, anyway," Jim continued.

"And we talked, and then we… decided… and then, well, he got bitten by a copperhead," Trixie continued.

"Woah," Di said, "That first aid treatment must have been really awkward, then."

Trixie blushed to the roots of her hair. "I didn't really think about it. It was all a shock."

Regan spoke. "Well, Trixie, if you guys 'talked about it', then how come I volunteered to take care of your tack for you while you went to 'talk about it'?"

They blushed, and people laughed at Regan's proclamation.

"We didn't talk about the same thing," Jim said, blushing. "The first one was kind of like a 'did what happen at the lake really happen' talk. And the second one was a 'where do we go from here' talk."

"Ah," Regan said, nodding, "I see." He smiled knowingly at them.

"So… let's get this straight," Dan started. "You spend all these years saying that you have _no_ feelings for each other, despite corsages, identification bracelets, and everyone telling you that you _obviously_ like each other."

"Then," Honey continued, "You keep up the act this summer, except there seems to be a lot more tension between you guys."

"Now we hear that you have set aside your previous decisions and had your first kiss at the lake," Di added.

"Then went for an excursion on some fine equestrians," Mart said, "on which you had a conversation, which followed by Jim getting bitten by a copperhead."

"And then Dr. Ferris and I caught you kissing in the woods," Dan said.

"And Regan took care of your tack so you guys could go talk," Brian added, thinking back to the 'talk' which he had interrupted. "And then you had a giant 'be good to my daughter' conversation with my dad, and now you're here."

Trixie and Jim nodded at the not-so-conservative summary their friends had given. "Um, yeah, that's pretty much it," Jim said.

"Well," Celia said amusedly. "It seems like Dan was right, Trixie."

"About what?" she asked, puzzled.

Celia smiled. "You _have_ fallen into the boy trap."

Everyone laughed as the dinner table conversation of a few nights ago came back.

"Can we leave now?" Trixie said, blushing.

"And go _where_?" Dan asked mischievously.

Again, Trixie blushed at the trap she had gotten herself into. Seeing that she was lost for words, Miss Trask came to the rescue.

"Let the poor things go," she said, looking sympathetically at the couple. "They've just sorted things out and they had to go through our terrible questions. They may want some time alone," she said.

Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Lynch both nodded in agreement. "It's not fair to keep them like this," Mrs. Wheeler said.

"You should go, dears," Mrs. Lynch said, smiling at the young couple. She remembered when she was that age, too. And, she remembered her daughter's position as well.

Jim and Trixie cast grateful looks at the three women. Then Jim remembered their dilemma. "Uh… but here comes another rule," he said, sheepishly. "We have to tell her dad where we're going and when we'll be back."

Dan grinned. "Oh, I like that rule."

Honey scoffed. "Dan!" she scolded, feeling just as she had with Brian that the couple should be given privacy.

"They shouldn't worry," Mr. Wheeler said. "If there's anything I know about Peter and Helen Belden is that they're not going to tell you where Jim and Trixie will be." He smiled slightly. "We were all teenagers once too."

"If you guys are bored," Regan said, addressing the Bob-Whites who weren't Jim and Trixie, "you could always exercise the horses."

Mart groaned, remembering something. "I have chores to do. The chickens, laundry, etc."

Brian nodded. "I have to take Bobby, Terry and Larry back to the Lynch's house."

The teens went on talking about their plans, and soon people dispersed, having something else to do, and so when things had calmed down, the only people left were the Wheelers, Lynches, Tom, Celia, and Dr. Ferris, who was giving his patients their medication. And of course, so were Jim and Trixie, who were still seated on the couch.

"Well, that was terrifying," Jim commented to Trixie.

She nodded. "At least it's over." She sighed. "I'm glad."

Jim nodded in agreement. "What do… you want to do now?" he asked, looking shyly at Trixie.

She smiled to herself at that fact that he was nervous. "Well, you need to rest your leg, so no more horseback riding for the next few days. And you probably shouldn't drive, either."

"The only places we'd be allowed would be the clubhouse, the Manor House living room, the stables, or right here," Jim said.

"Well, Honey and Di are in the clubhouse working on those new curtains." Trixie's eyes widened. "Jim, I forgot my sweater at the stables from a few days ago. Can we go get it first? Regan will skin me alive if he finds it there. Then maybe we'll be able to decide what we want to do."

Jim smiled. "Sure," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling them both up.

And so together, they walked, finally able to enjoy the freedom that they'd been waiting for, even subconsciously.


	38. Sweeter than Sweaters

Ahh... another chapter. A short one of that, but a chapter nonetheless. You are probably wondering why I caused Trixie to forget her jacket in the stables, but I assure you, there is a perfectly good reason, one that I think you'll enjoy immensely. If you are wondering what that reason is, you could read and find out, or you can look at the third last review by Jimtrix, and you'll have somewhat of a good idea. ;)

And, so I dedicate this chapter to our beloved Jimtrix, and you'll thank her once you read it. This scene has been playing around in my mind for a while as I contemplated on her words, and so here it is. ;)

* * *

"Do you think that Regan's in his room?" Trixie asked as they walked into the stables, which showed no sign of the red-headed groom.

"Probably. Or else he's helping Miss Trask out with the driving and things while Tom's out of commission."

Trixie chuckled. "Poor Regan. He hates driving." She went to look for her sweater, which she was sure she had left on the large worktable on the right side of the stables. She looked, but she couldn't find it. "That's odd," she said, frowning. "I thought I left it right here."

Jim came to look. "Maybe Regan put it away somewhere. Are you sure you left it on the worktable?"

Trixie nodded. "Positive."

They kept looking around the stables, but to no avail. Trixie huffed. "Maybe I'll ask Regan when I see him. He's probably busy right now."

She scanned the room again. "I could've sworn it was here," she said. She sighed. "Whatever. It's not here." She faced the red-head. "Thanks for helping me look, Jim," she said.

He smiled. "Well, we didn't find it, so I doubt I was much help."

She smiled gratefully. "Of course you were," she said, and he didn't protest again. She wanted to look around again, but decided against it. "I guess I should just stop looking." She turned her attention to Jim, and blushed when he was already looking intently at her. "Um… what should we do now?" she asked.

"We can decide where we should go," Jim suggested, looking her in the eyes, which rolled despite her face being slightly red.

"I meant _where_, Jim," she said jokingly, though unable to take her eyes off of his.

"I know," he said, a small smile crossing his lips. "I just like to bug you."

She was going to give back some smart comment, but she found herself unable to as she looked up at him, and he looked back intently, mouth curved into a small smile and eyes steady on hers.

They stood there for what seemed like a while, seemingly hypnotized, just like they'd been outside her room, when Trixie finally got up her nerves and said, "Jim," very softly.

"Yes, Trixie?" he asked, his voice equally soft, if not a little hoarse.

"Are you going to turn your eyes away like you did last time or actually kiss me?"

His mouth curved up into a wide smile and he cupped her cheeks with his hands, bringing her lips to his.

They kissed, for a while, and Trixie's arms snaked around his neck, trying to bring him in closer.

Slowly, their kisses go hungrier, and Jim let his hands trail down her sides from her face and settle around her waist, pulling her in even closer, if it were possible. Trixie's arms tightened around his neck, bringing his mouth even closer against hers, and it would have choked him if either of them cared to breathe.

They were so involved, only thinking about each other as they melted into the other's arms that they either didn't notice or didn't care about the cheerful, carefree whistling that was coming closer to the stables.

Regan was about to enter when he caught sight of the couple in their embrace. His whistling was cut short as he raised an eyebrow, an amused expression growing on his face. Many thoughts circulated his mind; from why they were using the stables to whether he should interrupt them, to what Peter Belden would say if he saw the scene that Regan was witnessing in front of him. He chuckled at the thought. Their hands were innocent enough; permanently in place and not wandering, but it was what was going on above the neck that he knew would make any father's blood boil, if that were his daughter. _It's a good thing I'm not her father, then_, he thought, trying not to smile.

Deciding that he may want to come back later instead, he went back up to his room, shaking his head and rolling his eyes on the way up. For some reason, he found himself wondering what Dan would have done if he came upon that scene. He knew his nephew was back and Maypenny's place, but if he had happened upon the couple… well, they were lucky he hadn't. He pictured something along the lines of a loud whistle, and once the couple broke apart, utterly embarrassed, he would have made some sort of smart comment. Yup, he thought. It was definitely a good thing that Dan hadn't happened upon them. But, then again, it may teach them to use somewhere besides his stables in the future.

Meanwhile, the couple in question hadn't noticed the arrival of the groom. Not by a long shot. All thoughts of the fact that someone might walk in on them didn't seem to make an appearance at all in their mushed up craniums, as the only thought that _did_ manage to make a debut in preoccupied brains was… well, the only thought that _would_ be able to make it through the minds of someone in the heated embrace with another person that they had a romantic attraction to. Literally.

Finally, after a _long_ time, they broke away by about a centimeter so oxygen could enter their systems. Both flushed, they stared at the other, breathing heavily, noses still brushing.

Jim rested his forehead against hers, and neither of them said a word. What was there to say, anyway?

For some reason, Trixie's eyes flicked away from Jim's towards the door of the stables. Next to it was a little board with five coat pegs, and on one, her sweater hung. _Hmm. Go figure_, she thought, supressing a smile. They could've just left and they would have see it hanging there by the door. Not that she was complaining. Her smile grew wider. She wasn't complaining at all.


	39. Strange Markings

Hello! Here's another chapter.

I'm just responding the the guest review of a miss fiona glenanne, who asked if I'd make an OC so Dan could have a love interest. Honestly, to tell the truth, fiona, I'm not at all a fan of OCs. I never make them, because I'm a sucker for the classic stuff. So, sorry, but my answer will have to be no. Oh, and about your other comment about needing to get back to the mystery, I agree. So, here it is!

~A

* * *

They walked hand in hand out of the stables, and to anyone that was looking at them, they would've seemed innocent enough. But if you had looked closer, you'd have noticed the flush on their cheeks and the redness in their lips. You'd have noticed that they stood relatively closer than they might have usually, and they glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes, though they tried not to get caught.

"I should probably put my sweater away," Trixie said as they walked towards Crabapple Farm, still having not decided on a place to go.

"Anything you want, Trix," Jim said, walking steadily beside her.

Trixie smiled to herself. _Maybe I should kiss him more often._ Then her eyes widened. "We forgot to tell my parents where we'd be," she said, realizing their mistake.

Jim's eyes widened too. "Do you think that they meant _everywhere_ we're going?"

Trixie shrugged. "It's probably best that we be safe, not sorry."

Jim nodded earnestly. He did _not_ want to mess this up.

"I'm going upstairs anyway, so I'll tell them," Trixie said. "Uh… where should I tell them we'll be?"

"I guess you could say that we're walking around randomly by my place and yours," he suggested.

They walked into Crabapple Farm, and Trixie was about to go upstairs when she heard the kitchen phone ring. Curious, she went to answer it, Jim close after her. "Hello?" she asked, picking up the receiver.

"Miss Belden?" a familiar voice asked.

"Um, hi Sergeant Molinson," she responded, surprised.

"I just called to let you know that you and your friends may want to come down to the station, as there has been a new development in the case. One of particular interest."

A look of excitement grew on Trixie's face. "Thanks for letting us know, Sergeant Molinson. I'll see how many of us I can scrape up to come along."

"That's fine," he said gruffly, and they both hung up.

"What did Sergeant Molinson want?" Jim asked her curiously, noting her excited expression.

"He said that the Bob-Whites should go down to the station because he has something to show us. He said it was of particular interest."

"Well, I guess we should go gather everyone up, then," Jim said.

"Gather everyone up for what?" Brian asked, coming into the kitchen and eyeing his best friend and sister suspiciously.

"Oh, Brian," Trixie said excitedly. "You're back. Sergeant Molinson just called and said that we should all go down to the station. He has something to show us."

Brian's look of suspicion was wiped of his face, and it was replaced by one of interest. "I'll go grab Mart," he said. "Trix, you go grab the girls, and Jim…"

"I'll grab Mart," Jim said, noting Brian's indecision. "You go grab one of the cars. I can't drive because of my leg, so…"

Brian nodded. "I guess we'll have to fill Dan in later because he's at Maypenny's." They nodded.

And so they went. Trixie first remembered something, and ran up to throw her sweater on her bed. As she passed her parents' door, she popped her head in. "Hey Moms. Hi Daddy. Me, Jim, _and_ the rest of the Bob-Whites are going to the station, because Sergeant Molinson called. Is that okay?"

Her dad rolled his eyes, but her mom smiled at her amusedly. "Go ahead, sweetie," she said.

Trixie flashed a quick smile. "Love you," she said before hastily closing the door and racing down the steps.

When she reached the clubhouse, she opened the door hastily and entered, looking at her friends. "Guys—"

"Hey Trix," Honey greeted, smiling at her best friend.

Di looked up from cutting the piece of fabric she was working on. "Oh, hi Trixie," she said, smiling at the newcomer.

Her smiled easily turned to mischief. "Where's Jim?" she asked.

Trixie rolled her eyes, trying not to blush. "He's back at Crabapple Farm, and so are Brian and Mart. I came to get you guys, because Sergeant Molinson called and said we should go to the station. He's got something to show us."

Honey raced to the door. "Oh, I can't wait," she said.

Di also came. "I hope it's something to do with our parents," she said, and the girls turned the lights off, shut the door, and locked up the clubhouse.

"So," Honey said, looking at her best friend as the group walked up the hill towards Crabapple Farm. "How was your little alone time with my brother?" she asked, trying not to smile.

"Yeah," Di agreed. "What did you guys do?"

Trixie blushed beat red. "Er… we went to find my sweater that I'd left in the stables. We looked everywhere, but couldn't find it, until we left and we saw it hanging by the door."

"That's… romantic," Di said, giggling, and Honey joined in.

"Ha ha," Trixie said, trying not to smile herself.

"Please, Trixie, we know something else happened as well," Di said. "Did you guys happen to—"

"Oh, look," Trixie interrupted, forging up the hill towards the driveway of Crabapple Farm. "Everyone's waiting for us."

Honey and Di exchanged smiles. Trixie's blush gave away that looking for sweaters wasn't the _only_ thing that their best friend and Jim had done.

"Ah, young love," Di contemplated, and both girls went to join the group, giggling.

* * *

Brian got the driver's seat, and Mart crammed in next to him, with Di at her side. Honey sat behind Di, Trixie behind Mart, and Jim behind Brian. The group had been _very_ careful to let Jim and Trixie sit together. Very.

"I wonder what he wants us to see," Honey commented as they pulled up at the station.

The group got out of the car. Jim held the car door open for Trixie and helped her out, which Trixie was trying hard not to smile at. She planted a kiss on Jim's cheek before walking up to join the rest of the group, turning around and winking at the spellbound red-head before walking along side Honey and Di.

Only Honey noticed the exchange, and she rolled her eyes, nudging Trixie when she came beside her and giving her a silent, knowing smile, which Trixie tried to ignore.

"Hey, Spider," Trixie greeted as the group entered the station.

"Hey, Trix," the officer greeted. "Hi guys," he said, waving at the rest of the Bob-Whites. "Come to see our new exhibit, have we?" he asked.

"Exhibit?" Brian asked curiously.

Spider grinned. "The new evidence that we collected. I see the Sergeant called you guys."

They nodded.

"Maybe you guys can help us decipher it," he said, waving them into the Sergeant's office.

Puzzled, the group entered the office. _Decipher it?_ What did that mean?

The sergeant looked up and grunted. "Come in, come in," he urged, gesturing towards his desk.

"Um, Sergeant Molinson?" Trixie asked. "What did Spider mean when he said we could help you _decipher it_?"

"Well," he began, taking his eyes off the paper he was looking at and turning his attention to the Bob-Whites, "We received a letter in the mail today. A rather disturbing letter, at that. It was written in some sort of strange code, and under it, it said— well, I guess I'd better just show it to you." He gestured towards his desk, picking up a metal pan that was lying there and turning it towards them.

The group crowded around it, and inside the evidence pan was a piece of paper covered in strange markings, with the words 'GIVE US WHAT WE WANT OR GLEN ROAD WON'T BE THE FIRST' written in large black block letters underneath.

Trixie gasped when she saw the markings, exchanging a look with her friends, whose expressions showed that they were thinking the same thing.

The sergeant looked at them with interest. "You've seen these markings before?"

They nodded, numbly. Trixie was the one who spoke. "They're the Stickman Code," she said.

"The Stickman Code?" he asked, leaning in.

She nodded. "Uh, a couple of years ago, the time when we had the antique show, we came across an old tag attached to a key with some weird code on it. Then we found out that it was the code from an issue of an old magazine called St. Nicholas's. It's called the Stickman Code."

"Do you know how to decipher it?" the sergeant asked, voice deadly calm.

"Uh, we know a few letters, but we have the magazine somewhere, and I know I've written it down in a notebook."

Honey nodded. "The old magazine is still in the attic. Maybe it will say something."

"Okay," the sergeant said. "Would a few of you mind going and getting it?" he asked, starting to sound hopeful.

"Brian, you should take Honey," Jim suggested. "She knows where it is, and you can drive."

Brian nodded, ignoring the supressed smiles of Trixie, Di, and Mart.

Honey tried not to look at her friends as she and Brian left the room.

The sergeant rolled his eyes, knowing full well the thoughts going through their heads. _Teenagers_, he thought, shaking his head.

"Alright, in the meantime, tell me the letters you _do_ know," he urged.

He got out a pen and paper.

The remaining group pointed out a few letters. When they were done, a few of the blank spaces were filled in with _S_'s and _O_'s.

"Well," the sergeant said, looking at the piece of paper. "_This_ is getting somewhere."


	40. Messages

40 CHAPTERS! Yes. We've reached it, thanks to all of you. I couldn't have done it without you. (But of course, we're not even done yet.) So keep the reviews coming, and enjoy the chapter!

-A

* * *

The group stared at the letters they had filled in, wondering what could possibly fill in the blanks.

Trixie looked at it hardest of all, frowning. Her mind kept going back to the chilling words at the end. _Give us what we want, or Glen Road won't be the first._ Something about the words bothered her, but she couldn't place her finger on what it was.

She felt something squeeze her hand. Jim had noticed her growing unease. "What are you thinking, Shamus?" he asked softly.

She shook her head, trying to think. "The last line; the one not in code. Something about it just…"

"Doesn't feel right?" he asked. "Maybe because it isn't in code?"

She shook her head. "It's not that. They had to put the last line there, especially because it's so grave. Otherwise, it would have been a bunch of meaningless symbols and the police might not have cared about it. It's something else that bothers me."

Jim sighed. "Then it's definitely worth thinking about. I think we've all learnt to start trusting your hunches."

She gave him a small smile. "If I only knew what it was."

"Sergeant Molinson," Di asked, "Is there anything else that you wanted to show us that we can look at while we wait?"

The sergeant thought about it. "Actually, there is something that we've found out." He walked over to the file cabinet and took out a folder. "We did some more research on Robert and Serena Yokaido, and put together a file. Although they did die, they left behind a daughter, Sarah, who by now should be about seventeen. She was put into foster care when her parents died, at the age of fourteen. She's going to NYU, studying arts and history. She has a clean record, and wasn't in the country when her parents did what they did; she was visiting her grandparents in Japan, who have now passed. They were her only living relatives."

"Poor girl," Di said, and the rest of the Bob-Whites nodded in agreement. All having loving families and many friends, they always sympathized with people less fortunate.

Especially Jim, whose expression turned grim from experience. He nodded. "I can relate. At least she's getting an education and living a clean life."

Trixie looked at Jim interestedly, knowing full well how he had been before she and Honey had found him. He had come to Sleepyside to find his only living relative, who had nearly passed away, and he was on the run from his cruel stepfather. A year ago he had found out he had a living relative, which had made him feel a lot better. Trixie always admired how he could be such a nice person, always caring for everyone despite what he'd been through.

"Did she skip a grade?" Mart asked. "You said she's seventeen, in college."

Sergeant Molinson looked at a page in the file. "Er… yes, actually. She finished high school at fifteen, actually, because she skipped third and eighth grade."

"Wow," Trixie said. How anyone could skip a whole grade of school was beyond her. If someone could skip two… well, she couldn't think about it without hurting her head.

"So you think that she may be involved in this?" Jim asked.

"Well," the sergeant said, "it _is_ very hard to believe. But she _is_ the only known relative that there is. She may know something about the case."

"Where does she live?" Mart asked.

"Currently she's rented a dorm and is living in New York City while she does her studies, but she lives in Albany."

"Is she off for the summer?" Trixie asked.

The sergeant smiled. "Actually, she is. And," he said, looking at them conspiratorially, "she happens to be spending her summer with some family friends. The Hokaido brothers. Perhaps you've heard of them."

Trixie gasped. "She's here in Sleepyside?"

The sergeant nodded. "So she has opportunity, and if she agreed with what her parents did, she has a motive. Not a very good one, but still a motive."

"Have you interviewed her yet?" Trixie asked.

"We were planning on it this afternoon, before the letter came." His face turned grim.

Just then, Brian and Honey came into the room.

"Hi, Honey," Di said somewhat flirtatiously, trying not to smile as her friend came towards them.

"Hey Brian," Mart said, looking at him and Honey with a small smile. "How did it go?"

Both of them ignored their friends' teasing and Honey handed the magazine to Sergeant Molinson. The group gathered around the desk as letter after letter was filled in, complete silence filling the room.

**Keep the girl snoop of the case. (You're reading this, so she's there.) Next letter comes in two days. We're watching you.**

The stared at the words, and involuntarily, eyes floated in Trixie's direction. She looked at the message, slightly surprised, slightly taken-aback at the address to her. Jim's hand instinctively tightened over hers when he finished reading it.

"Well, Miss Belden," Sergeant Molinson said grimly. "It seems that someone doesn't want you to help with this case."

Trixie looked at it with disbelief. "But that's… that… it doesn't make any sense. They can't seriously think that I'll be of help."

Honey looked sadly at her best friend. "You have a reputation, Trixie. Everyone knows what you can do."

"But how they knew you were helping…" Brian trailed off. "I don't like this one bit."

Jim nodded. "If you're being put in harm's way by this, then I don't think any of us would want you to take the risk."

Trixie nodded absently. "It's not as much me I'm worried about. They basically said that if we didn't do what they wanted, then Glen Road will be the least of our troubles. They've threatened the city."

Sergeant Molinson looked at the group ominously. "I think we are going to need to do that interview right away," he said.

"What interview?" Brian asked, and was quickly briefed by the group about Sarah Yokaido.

"And the Hokaido brothers own a food business, so, if she was guilty, she'd have perfect opportunity," Trixie said.

"But what about the letter?" Di asked, fear evident in her voice. "If they've threatened Trixie..."

"I'll make sure that Miss Belden doesn't get into any harm's way," Sergeant Molinson promised. "She should be fine at home, and you'll all be with her most times, anyway. And about her involvement in the case—"

"Wait," Trixie interrupted, looking around. "The letter said that they're watching us, and they wouldn't have known about my helping in the case without some sort of information. Maybe we should watch what plans we make aloud; we don't know who's watching. I mean, it's probably not possible that the station is bugged, but still…"

The sergeant seemed to consider it. "Well, I'd agree that someone might be watching, _if_ we weren't in the station. It's safe to speak here, and it's probably more likely that someone accidently slipped the information to someone, or that they heard you speaking somewhere else."

A chill ran down Trixie's spine. "But that means that they'd be spying on us at home."

"Well, in all fairness, someone has definitely been at your guys' houses, Trixie. At least to Glen Road. Otherwise, they couldn't have gotten the syringes into the woods, and they couldn't have poisoned your parents."

Trixie's eyes widened. "I got it!" she exclaimed. "What was bothering me about the message before. They said _Glen Road._ "Our families aren't the only ones on Glen Road."

Honey's eyes widened. "Mr. Lytell," she said, dread growing.

Sergeant Molinson seemed to think. "I'll send an officer. I doubt anything has happened. Remember, they didn't poison all of Glen Road. Only some of you. So I don't think we should panic or assume things."

"And I'm sure someone has been to his store lately and would have noticed if anything was wrong," Brian said sensibly.

The group tried to calm down. "Okay," Jim said. "Now maybe we should discuss the letter."

"You mean the threat that it implies to Trixie," Mart said, raising an eyebrow.

Jim coloured. "I mean the whole thing," he said.

"You're wondering if she should be let off the case," Sergeant Molinson said.

"I don't get it," Trixie said miserably. "I'm not even _on_ the case."

"They're probably monitoring if you enter the station," the sergeant said, "or how many times we're coming to your house. So, technically…"

"I could still work on it, if we're careful."

The sergeant sighed. "I don't want to put any of you at risk, and so maybe we should just see how this interview goes, and then you can go on from there. At least keep a low profile until the next letter comes, and we can see where to go then."

Trixie sighed, defeated. "You'll tell us how the interview goes?" she questioned finally.

The sergeant gave her a grudging smile and nodded. "I'll call and let you know."

And with that, the troubled group said their good-byes and left, minds working away on the new discoveries, still as grim as ever.


	41. Two Things To Wait For

Ah. Chapter 41. This is a _long_ story. Thanks for bearing with me throughout it. :)

And for the record, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to end this thing. Well, don't worry, because I actually have several ideas as to how the mystery can go, and I even brainstormed the final scene that I can use for the final chapter. Hint *brainstorm*. (That means it's not typed out- just stored in my cranium. ;)

Just one more note, I just read part of this Trixie Belden fan fiction that I almost fainted reading. IT WAS AMAZING. It was the most authentic Trixie Belden fan fiction story I have EVER read. It might as well have been another book, and the author even created a cover for it using the Trixie-Tron on the Trixie Belden Website. It is stinking awesome, and I'd suggest you read it. It's called _The Mystery of the Mardi Gras Mask _by thereluctantmonkey. It is AMAZING.

* * *

Trixie huffed. Looking down on her chart, she chewed on the bottom of her pencil. She had finished adding the newest pieces of the crime as she was lying on her bed. Now she was tired. She took a glance at her clock. _5:42_.

The group had agreed to meet at the Manor House at six for dinner. Everyone was a little tired, and after the long day they'd had, everyone agreed to rest for a little.

All of the Bob-Whites had insisted that Jim especially rest, especially after his experience with the copperhead. Then they all decided that maybe everyone should have a little rest, especially after everything that had happened.

Trixie couldn't help but agree. She couldn't believe that it had only been three days since summer started. It seemed that with everything going on that she hadn't even had time to breathe. Well, now she had. Almost a whole hour.

When she got home, she had quickly popped her head into her parent's room, informing them that she had arrived. She smiled at the thought. Then, she had fallen onto her bed, and though she didn't want to, she fell asleep for about a half-hour. And then she realized that she needed to fill in the remains of her chart. Or list, someone might have wanted to call it.

Again she smiled at the thought. She remembered what she had done before the group went to the station, and blushed, despite the fact no one could hear her thoughts. She remembered the stables, and how Jim had held her, and how… She shook her head. For some reason, she found herself stopping her stream of thought whenever she thought about her and Jim. She didn't know why, but she did.

She forced herself to think about the mystery. About Sarah Yokaido. Trixie couldn't wrap her mind around the whole ordeal. When she had first heard about her, she felt sorry for the girl, and couldn't help but liking her. Then, once the strange message had been revealed, and they found out she was in Sleepyside, Trixie couldn't help but getting suspicious. Sarah _did_ have the perfect opportunity. And the fact that she was living with the Hokaido brothers for a little while made Trixie kind of anxious, if not sad. She didn't want anyone to take advantage of the sweet brothers who had helped her and her friends quite a bit with their antique show. And she definitely didn't want them to also be guilty.

Trixie sighed. She couldn't wait to hear what Sergeant Molinson had found out in his interview with the suspect.

She forced herself up and off the bed. She needed to get going.

After freshening up, she met Mart downstairs and they walked towards the Manor House. Brian had picked Di up from her house where she had been dropped off, and they were all going to meet at the Manor House, including Dan.

"Mmmm," Mart proclaimed as he entered the Manor House and they were greeted by Honey and Miss Trask. "Why, may I inquire, does your grand abode have such a delectably sweet redolence to it?"

Miss Trask laughed. "Well, Mart," she said as they all made their way to the table, "Cook made something extra special to celebrate."

The entire group gave her a puzzled look. "Celebrate what?" Trixie asked.

Miss Trask's eyes twinkled merrily. "That's a surprise that we'll have to save for after dinner," she said covertly.

"Oh, please tell us," Trixie asked.

"Yeah," Honey agreed, smiling pleadingly. "You know how much we hate secrets."

Miss Trask smiled. "Sorry girls," she said. "My lips are tied."

Honey sighed good-naturedly. "I guess we'll have to wait, Trixie," she said.

Miss Trask smiled. "Don't worry," she said. "When you get to enjoy Cook's special dessert, you'll know what it's for."

Mart's stomach grumbled, causing laughs from the girls. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "We didn't really eat anything since we were at the lake."

Miss Trask waved it aside kindly. "Don't worry, Mart. We're all hungry too. Once everyone's here we can eat."

"Brian and Dan should be her any minute with Di," Trixie said.

"And Jim should be down any minute," Honey said, looking mischievously at her best friend. "Of course we can't forget him."

Trixie blushed, trying to look unfazed. "Of course not," she said. "The dinner wouldn't be complete without all the Bob-Whites."

Miss Trask hid her smile. "Of course it wouldn't."

"Speak of the devil," Mart said as Jim came downstairs.

"Hi, guys," Jim greeted. His eyes focused on Trixie. "Hey, Trix," he greeted, the whole room evaporating around him.

She smiled back warmly. "Hey, Jim," she said, trying not to blush.

Miss Trask suddenly seemed to find something to do, and walked away briskly, and Mart and Honey exchanged looks, smiling to themselves as they inconspicuously left the room.

"Get any rest?" Trixie asked him.

He chuckled. "A little. You?"

"I dozed off for about half an hour, but then I spent the whole time thinking about the mystery."

Jim smiled. "Did you fill out your chart?" he asked.

"It's a list," she spewed automatically, smiling when she heard her words.

Jim laughed. "Yes it is." He swung an arm around her shoulders, and she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Just then, Regan entered the door. When he saw Jim and Trixie were about to join everyone else, an amused smile passed across his face.

"You're looking well, Jim," he commented, gesturing to Jim's leg.

"Yeah, it's getting better," Jim replied, smiling at the groom.

"Well, it seemed pretty good this afternoon," he said casually, and upon seeing Jim's puzzled look, leaned in and said quietly to both of them, "For future reference, the stables might not be the best place."

And with that, he winked at them, leaving the dumbfolded, blushing couple behind as he walked into the dining room, smiling to himself the whole way.

* * *

"Regan," Honey asked, "Do you know what secret Miss Trask is talking about?"

The groom smiled at her from across the table. "I do." Seeing her eager expression, he added, "But I can't tell you."

Her face fell.

Jim shook his head, smiling. "You just can't wait, can you?" he asked his little sister.

Honey looked at him indignantly. "I can wait. I just choose not to."

Everyone laughed. "Well, Honey," Miss Trask started, "You just have to wait until after dinner. That's it."

Honey sighed. "Fine," she relented, smiling before taking another bite of her roast.

Then she looked to her right, where Trixie was sitting. She lightly bumped the blonde's shoulder. "Why are so quiet, Trix?" she asked.

"Oh, please don't question it," Mart began. "Such splendid moments like that don't come very often."

Honey and Trixie both rolled their eyes. "Sorry," Trixie said. "I was just thinking about when Sergeant Molinson would call. He said when he's done the interview he would, but I haven't heard from him yet."

"Was he going to call you guys about it?" Regan asked. Both he and Miss Trask had been briefed about their visit to the station.

Jim nodded. "We just don't know when."

"I hope he didn't call when we were resting," Trixie said.

"I'm sure someone would've answered and told him to call back later," Miss Trask said reasonably.

Brian chuckled. "I'm sure he'd have liked that."

"Now we have _two_ things to wait for," Di said, smiling.

Dan smiled. "You guys are so impatient. We might as well not _wait_ for anything and have a normal dinner." His smile turned mischievous. "We could have a conversation about _other_ recent news that has come about."

Everybody but Jim and Trixie smiled at the thought, and eyes floated towards the new couple seated across the table from each other.

"Or we could wait impatiently," Trixie suggested hopelessly.

"Oh, my dear Beatrix, the latter idea does not seem as entertaining as the former," Mart said.

"But it's a lot less hazardous," Jim mumbled.

"What was that Jimmy?" Dan asked. "You want us to talk about it? Okay then. It's settled."

Jim shook his head and sighed, rolling his eyes. He knew that unless some sort of miracle happened, he wouldn't be getting out of this that easily.

"So what did you guys do today?" Dan asked.

"In your… alone time," Mart added, stifling a smile.

Neither Jim or Trixie supplied an answer.

"Well, when _we_ asked her," Di said, gesturing to herself and Honey, "she told us that they looked for Trixie's sweater in the stables."

Regan smiled to himself. _So that's what they were doing._

"How romantic," Dan commented, trying not to smile.

"That's what I said," Di started, "It was—"

Just then, the phone rang, and seizing the opportunity to get away from the table, both Jim and Trixie shot up and said, "I'll get it!" at the same time, which caused them both to blush beat red and the whole table to explode in laughter.

Trixie shook her head, trying to tone down her blush. "It's probably Sergeant Molinson," she said. "I'll bring the phone here so we all can listen to it." And with that, she walked away briskly to get the phone.


	42. Surprise Surprise

Here it is! Over 2,000 words- surprise surprise!

-A

* * *

When Trixie came back to the table, she had the phone at her ear and was listening intently to what the sergeant was saying.

"So you did the interview?" she was saying. She listened to what the sergeant had to say and her brow furrowed. Soon after, her face showed relief, then puzzlement, and then she said, "Thanks Sergeant Molinson," rather dejectedly. She nodded. "Definitely." A few seconds later, she finished with "Okay, thanks, bye," and hung up the phone, looking to the curious faces of her friends.

"She's innocent," Trixie dead-panned, causing mixed reactions from the group."They even did a search around the Hokaido's house, and found nothing. So…"

"We're back where we started," Mart supplied, but Trixie shook her head, sitting down.

"Not really," she said. "Now we've crossed out one possibility."

"Did he say anything else?" Brian asked.

"He just said to remember to come back on Wednesday," she said, "To see the letter."

"That's it?" Jim asked.

Trixie nodded. "He just went into explaining everything they checked to prove that she's actually innocent; they interviewed her, checked the house, ran tests on the Hokaido's produce…"

"Well, I'm glad she's innocent," Honey said, receiving nods from the Bob-Whites.

"Me too, I—" Trixie was cut off by the sound of the phone ringing again.

Trixie grabbed it, this time putting it on speaker phone. "Hello?" she asked.

"Miss Belden," Sergeant Molinson started, "There's something else I forgot to mention. Er, when the whole topic came up of _why_, and the whole situation and such was discussed in the interview, you and your friends came up, as they often do. Miss Yokaido was really interested in the whole ordeal, and was definitely sympathetic. She wondered if she could possibly meet you guys. She suggested lunch at Wimpy's tomorrow. When you guys have decided, you can call the station and we'll forward the message."

Trixie's face, like everyone else's, was one of shock. She quickly snapped out of it, and after exchanging quick, deciding looks with all of her friends, she said, "Thanks, Sergeant Molinson. Um, everyone's here, and they've decided that Wimpy's tomorrow would be great. What time did she say?"

"12 o'clock."

"Thanks Sergeant Molinson," Trixie said gratefully. The rest of the group echoed the message, and the sergeant no doubt heard it through the phone, grumbling something before both parties hung up.

Trixie looked at her friends, whose expressions all read surprise and anticipation.

"Well," Jim started.

"I can't wait to meet her," Di said, and the rest of the Bob-White's nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well I hope you guys enjoy yourselves," Miss Trask started. She checked her watch, and her face showed surprise. "My, it's already seven. Your— I mean, the surprise should be hear any minute."

The group exchanged excited looks. "Our… what?" Honey asked, smiling in anticipation.

"I've said too much already," the governess said with a smile, shaking her head. "Any way, if you're all done your dinner, let's clean up the table and set it for dessert."

* * *

Just as the table was done being set, the door rang, and the excited Bob-White's raced to answer it. Once the door swung open, the teens' eyes widened, the people at the door least expected to any of the Bob-Whites.

"Moms?" Trixie was the first to say, breaking the spell-bound atmosphere covering the teens. After greeting their group of parents with shocked and gleeful exclamations, they moved back to let the group in, exchanging hugs and embraces the whole time.

Once the group made it to the dining room, Trixie finally asked, "How are you guys…" she didn't finish, but everyone knew what she was asking, and all of the adults looked lovingly at their children as they took their seats, each wedged in between their parents as much as they could.

The parents began telling them about how Dr. Ferris had decided that they were able to get up and walk, at least for a little while, something that they were all relieved about. He even said that they'd all be able to move back to their own houses. Not necessarily to their usual daily lives, as they'd still be bed ridden for a little while, but they'd be able to walk a little here and there, and they'd be fully better by next week at the latest.

"That's great," the Bob-White's all agreed, and they started filling the parents in on everything to do with the case. It took a while, and the dessert was almost done by the time they finished, but the parents looked relieved to be on the same page as everyone else when it came to the mystery.

"So you guys are going to visit Sarah tomorrow," Mr. Wheeler confirmed from the head of the table. The teens nodded.

"And you should be going to the station on Wednesday to see the next letter," Peter asked as well, receiving more nods.

Suddenly, Trixie stifled a laugh, causing looks from everyone on the table. She blushed beat red, shooting a death glare to Jim across the table from her and trying to calm down her flush, apologizing to the table.

"What is so mirthful, dear Beatrix?" Mart asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, nothing," she said a little too quickly, not meeting anyone's eyes as she supressed a smile.

Dan smiled to himself, having watched Jim and Trixie the whole time. "Footsies," he muttered in a sing-song voice, only loud enough for Regan and Miss Trask to hear, and they had to stifle laughs as well.

"What?" Honey demanded, and the whole group started smiling as Regan, Dan, and Miss Trask tried to contain their laughter.

"Seriously," Brian asked, trying not to smile. "What is it?"

"Ask Jim and Trixie," Dan managed before bursting into laughter, and Regan and Miss Trask joined him, shaking their heads and looking at the couple, who were now blushing furiously.

Mart and Brian seemed to get what was going on, and after looking amusedly at the couple, started laughing too.

Honey looked suspiciously at the couple, and exchanged a look with Di across the table from her. Di, who was cracking up herself, managed to surreptitiously mouth the word '_footsies'_ before bursting into laughter, which Honey joined her in.

Soon, it was only the parents that weren't sure what was going on, and they looked peculiarly at the couple, who were looking down at their plates, obviously fighting smiles.

Trixie's parents, who were each sitting on opposite sides of their daughter, exchanged curious looks with each other before casting glances at their daughter and Jim. Peter didn't look mad, just amused and curious, the same as his wife.

Once the laughter died down, all looks finally landed on the couple, some amused, others puzzled and curious.

"You guys are terrible," Dan said finally, shaking his head to rid the smile off of his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jim said, still smiling down at his plate.

"No, I'm sure you don't, Jim Frayne," Trixie said accusingly at the red-head seated across from her, not meeting anyone's eyes as she smiled at a spot on the tablecloth.

There was silence for a moment, and then Honey's curious voice said, "Trixie, you didn't eat your cake," causing the blonde to finally look up and meet everyone's curious looks.

"You didn't even touch it," Helen confirmed, looking curiously at her daughter.

Trixie blushed. "Oh, I was leaving it so I could give it to Dr. Ferris, just in case there wasn't any left at the end."

That silenced the group.

Honey looked kindly at her friend. "Well now I feel guilty for laughing at you, Trix," she said.

Trixie blushed as everyone looked at her, surprise and kindness in their expressions. The last little bout of laughter was forgotten as everyone thought of the doctor, some casting glances at the cake platter and confirming there was none left.

"We should have invited him," Mrs. Wheeler said, looking appraisingly at Trixie, who shrugged good-naturedly.

"I just thought he deserved it more than I did," she said, blushing at the attention.

Jim pushed his half-finished slice towards her. "Have the rest of mine, Trix," he said, smiling slightly at her.

She smiled back, shaking her head. "It's okay, I'm not hungry. Thanks, though." She pushed his plate back in his direction. It looked like he was about to protest and push it back towards her, but he knew that she would never accept it.

"You can have mine, Trix," Honey offered, already picking up her plate.

Trixie waved it off earnestly, as everyone was about to pick up their plates and offer it to the blonde. "Seriously, I'm not hungry. Thanks, though."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Wheeler asked, looking caringly at the blonde.

She nodded and smiled. "I'm sure, thanks."

And so the group relented, nobody saying anything for the longest time..

"So are you going to be moving back in tonight?" Honey finally asked, looking at her parents.

They nodded, and the Lynch's did as well.

"Oh… uh, your keys are hidden Moms's sewing basket," Brian added, remembering that they had hidden their keys when they thought their parents were drunk.

The parents laughed. "Thanks, Brian," Mr. Wheeler said.

"Oh," Celia added, "I should be able to start work on Monday, Madeleine," she said, and was quickly admonished by Mrs. Wheeler.

"You will do no such thing," she said. "You and Tom are going to rest until you are entirely better. You can start no earlier than in two weeks."

Both Tom and Celia were about to protest, but the looks from the Wheelers were enough to make them know that their kind-hearted bosses weren't going to take no for an answer.

Soon the group decided to retire to bed, and the Belden's were invited to spend one last night in the Manor House while their house was being put back to normal, which they politely declined.

Trixie took her plate to the kitchen and began putting the cake in a container to take away when the kitchen door opened behind her. She turned around and saw Jim standing there, looking at her with a small smile on his face.

She blushed slightly. "Hey, Jim," she greeted before going back to her task.

He came to stand beside her, watching silently as she placed the large slice of chocolate cake in the container and closed it up.

"Thanks for the incredible embarrassment out there," Trixie joked finally, causing Jim to grin.

"Hey, you shouldn't have laughed. You gave it away."

"You started it in the first place," she accused lightly, turning her back to the counter and facing Jim.

He smiled. "I think that Dan was watching us the whole time."

Trixie chuckled. "He probably was." She shook her head. "I'm just glad my parents didn't know what was going on."

Jim nodded. "Mine either."

Trixie shook her head, smiling slightly. "God that was humiliating."

Jim raised his eyebrow, giving her a small smile. "You've got to admit, you kind of liked it."

She shook her head, giving him a little shove. "It was terrible."

Jim looked at her. "Sure it was."

"Seriously!" she insisted.

"Whatever you say, Trix."

Trixie narrowed her eyes at him. "You seemed to have liked it."

He just shrugged. "We almost pulled it off."

Trixie shook her head, smiling at the ground. "Next time I'm not giving in."

Jim's breath tickled her ear, causing her to look up and see how close he was, his hands on the counter on opposite sides of her as he leaned in. "I'm sure you won't."

Trixie was about to say something else, but she forgot what it was as her eyes drifted down his face to his lips, which curved into a smile.

Again, a smart retort made an appearance in her brain, but she didn't get to use it as his lips met hers, and all she could think of was how she wanted him just a little closer.

She curved up into his kiss, her arms sitting behind her between his.

After a little while, Jim broke apart reluctantly, looking at down at her face, and Trixie could see that he really didn't want to pull away, even though he did. He sighed, resting his forehead against hers. " 'Night, Trixie," he said quietly before he pulled away, looking wistfully at her as she reluctantly stood up to leave.

"Night, Jim," she replied quietly, walking out the door, cake in hand, knowing that everyone was probably waiting for her before walking back to Crabapple Farm.


	43. Meeting Sarah Yokaido

Again... more than 2,000 words! Enjoy. I had a bit of fun with this one. And I'm hoping to wrap this sucker up soon.

-A

* * *

The Belden's had had many chores to do the next morning, so their hands were tied before lunch, especially with their parents in bed for most of the day. And because Peter and Helen had wanted to see their youngest child, Trixie had to keep an extra eye on Bobby.

The weather wasn't too severe, and so the garden was only bathed in a little sunlight, the day rather overcast, which was a nice relief to all the sun they' d been having. Trixie had to do the dusting and vacuuming, then she had to finish with the garden.

The whole morning, she had time to think about the case. If the criminal wasn't the only living relative of Sarah and Robert Yokaido, who the box of drugs had belonged to, then who was it? Perhaps a friend who knew where the box was hidden? Or maybe someone had just happened upon it, and it had proved to be a crucial part of their plan.

When finally she was out of options and clues to fuel her many theories, her mind switched into autopilot, and the one occupying her thoughts was one that occupied her thoughts quite often.

As she and Mart were weeding the garden, her slightly older brother could see the switch in her expression; from hard and focused to dreamy and slightly wistful, and almost anyone could guess who she was thinking about.

Mart smiled to himself. Both his sister and the object of her affections had gotten it badly. He had wondered how long it would take for them to finally profess their feelings for each other. Everyone knew that they liked each other. They just took forever to admit it.

"Excited for lunch today?" Mart asked casually. Trixie was startled out of her thoughts, face slightly red.

"What?" she asked, obviously not hearing him.

Mart chuckled. "I asked if you were excited for lunch today."

This time, Trixie heard him. She nodded, smiling a little. "I can't wait to meet her."

Mart nodded in agreement. He plucked out one last weed before checking his watch. Then he got up and ruffled his sister's hair, which caused a little yelp of protest and a squirm from her as she tried to get his hand off of her.

Mart laughed a little. "We should get going," he said.

Trixie started patting her mop of curls. "Thanks for that. You've messed up my hair. There's probably dirt in it now."

Mart raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you care?"

Trixie flushed.

"Ah," Mart said, realization dawning across his face. "Don't worry," he said with an amused smile, "Jim likes you just the way you are."

After receiving a death glare, Mart went upstairs to freshen up and call Brian, and Trixie went to her room too, wanting to pick out every speck of soil from her hair, no matter what Mart thought.

* * *

The Belden's and Dan had agreed to meet the rest of the Bob-White's at Wimpy's, as they had many chores to do in the morning.

Once they got there, they found their friends at the long table that had been universally declared as the Bob-Whites', along with a pretty Japanese girl with long dark hair and pale, ivory skin. As they got closer to the group, Trixie took in the details of Sarah Yokaido's appearance. She was slender and tall, about Jim and Brian's height. She wore a jeans and a white blouse, which looked remarkably good on her, and her cheeks were a rosy pink. She wore a pleasant smile as the rest of the group approached.

Everyone greeted her, and she was so gentle and kind that Trixie couldn't help but like her immediately.

She smiled as the entire group sat down. "I hope I can remember all of your names," she said. She started looking around the table, going to name each person in order. She pointed across the table at the curly blonde, and a relieved smile passed her face as she was certain of the name. "Trixie," she said, and the blonde smiled.

"Guilty."

Sarah smiled back. She pointed to the red head sitting on Trixie's right. "Jim," she said, sounding mostly sure of herself. Jim nodded, smiling. She moved to Trixie's left, the tall, dark haired boy sitting at the head of the table. She hesitated. "Mar—'" she seemed to think better of it. "…Brian?"

Brian nodded, politely smiling. "That's right."

Then Sarah looked beside her, to the honey-haired girl sitting to her right, beside the head of the table. "Diana?" she guessed, obviously not sure.

Honey smiled, shaking her head lightly. "Honey," she corrected gently.

"Honey," Sarah repeated, smiling. "Okay, I think I've got that now."

She looked to her left. "So then you're Diana," she said, and Di nodded kindly. She named Mart and Dan properly, and received a light round of applause from the Bob-Whites.

"Six out of seven," Dan commended. "Pretty good."

"Thanks," Sarah said, smiling bashfully.

Just then, Nick came to the table to take the groups orders. Brian looked expectantly at Sarah. "Are burgers and fries okay?" he asked, and Sarah nodded easily.

"I'm good with anything," she said, smiling.

And so Jim and Brian ordered everyone the usual before Nick went around to take drink orders. He came upon Trixie last and blushed, not meeting her in the eye as she politely asked for a chocolate milkshake. He gave her a quick, shy smile before confirming the order and rushing back to the kitchen.

When he was gone, Di said, "Poor Nick," looking after the artist with a sad expression.

"I know," agreed Honey. She looked at her best friend. "Trixie, you're a heartbreaker."

Trixie flushed, gaping. "What did I do?" she asked.

Dan shook his head in mock disapproval. "Jim, I think you're now responsible for the loss of that young man's happiness."

Jim flushed, seeming to know what they were saying. He didn't respond.

Trixie tried to say something but failed miserably.

Mart clucked disapprovingly, shaking his head at his sister. "Poor Nick. Didn't even stand a chance."

Honey looked at Sarah, who seemed to be a bit lost. She explained. "You see, Sarah, we all think—"

"Know," Dan corrected.

"That Nick has had this long standing crush on Trixie since she helped him out a couple of years ago by raising money to help with the school's art program."

Trixie went to protest, but was cut off by Dan.

"But, you may know, us Bob-Whites live very far out from the city, so we don't see any of the other people we go to school with very much. So instead, we've grown very close with each other." His eyes twinkled mischievously.

"And ever since Jim and Trixie met two years ago," Mart continued, "we all knew they were goners."

Sarah's face dawned with understanding and she cast a small, curious glance at the couple, who were blushing red.

Trixie chuckled a little. "I don't think that holding a gun to someone's head counts as 'meeting'."

Seeing Sarah's startled expression, the group went on to explain all the events of that summer, about Jim's situation and how Honey and Trixie had gone across the country in search of him.

"That's really very romantic," Sarah said, causing both Jim and Trixie to blush bright red as the table laughed. "So are you guys together, then?" she asked curiously, receiving slight, hesitant nods from the couple as they looked at each other from the corner of their eyes.

Sarah gave a slight laugh. "You don't seem very sure of yourselves," she said, her voice kind.

"They just got together yesterday," Di explained, and Sarah nodded in understanding.

"Are you in any relationship?" Honey asked kindly.

Sarah's face looked sad. "I was," she said, "A few years ago. But… since the incident, I haven't had the courage." The girls looked sadly at her.

"What happened?" Di asked sympathetically.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Honey added quickly.

Sarah gave them a grateful smile. "Oh, it wasn't that big a thing, I suppose. You know about my parents' ill actions, I assume. I had learnt a little while later that my boyfriend had been involved in the whole ordeal with them, and he went to prison for aiding them. It was a shock, but I suppose that it was for the best. I got to know what he was actually like."

Everyone looked sympathetically at her, and Di and Honey were quick to comfort her. Trixie, however, was deep in thought. Jim nudged her lightly. "What are you thinking now, Shamus?" he asked her quietly, knowing that she was meditating notions about the case.

Trixie shook her head, looking distracted. "I was just thinking about something that Sarah said." She squinted in frustration. "I have a theory, except it's not much of a theory."

Jim chuckled. "A theory that's not much of a theory. Gotcha."

"Aw," Di cooed. "What are you two love-birds talking about now?"

Trixie shot Di an annoyed, but not mean look. "Nothing, thank you very much."

Jim shook his head, trying not to smile. "The case, Di. Trixie has a…" his mouth twitched a little, "…theory."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Shut-up," she muttered, shoving him slightly. "What part of a theory that's not really a theory do you not understand?"

Dan raised an eyebrow.

Jim laughed. "Pretty much all of it."

As the food came, Sarah looked at the resident detective with interest. "I've heard a lot about your detective work, Trixie," she started, causing the blonde to blush.

"I wouldn't really call it detective work—"

"Of course she wouldn't," Honey said loyally. "She's too modest for that."

Sarah smiled. "I would love to hear about some of the cases you've solved."

Mart snorted. "Got a day?" he asked sarcastically.

"Actually," Sarah said, "I've got as long as you need. I'd really like to hear a few stories, if it wouldn't bother you."

"Of course not," Honey replied kindly. "Which one should we start with…" she mused.

"Start from the beginning," Brian said. "I think we may want to tell her _how_ Trixie became so mystery-prone."

Jim chuckled. "I don't think there is a _how_."

Mart nodded in agreement. "You guys save a family and red trailer and all of a sudden you stumble into mysteries every chance you get."

And so they went on to tell stories of some of the mysteries, from the red trailer incident, to when they thought Mr. Maypenny was a poacher. (Trixie blushed when the group insisted on telling Sarah about the Ben Riker and the diamond ring.) They also told her about the different charity things the Bob-White's did, like their UNICEF findraisers.

They also told about the secret code, the antique show, and Happy Valley. It was the story about how Trixie and Honey got locked in a car and almost drowned in the Hudson River that caused Sarah to gasp.

Trixie nodded somberly. "I wish I hadn't been so reckless."

Honey nodded in agreement. "The boys always ended up having to save our hides one way or another."

Di shivered. "I'm just glad that they mostly decide to leave me out of their detective work. The stuff they get themselves into sometimes…" She shook her head, trying to rid it of the memories.

"Wow, Trixie," Sarah said appraisingly when they were done telling her about some of the cases. "You've got a talent there."

Trixie blushed. "It's really not that big of a deal."

Honey shook her head, smiling kindly at her friend. "She never takes credit for anything."

Jim nodded in agreement, casting a proud look at the blonde before slinging an arm across her chair. "And we haven't even told you half of the stories."

Nick came back to take their plates, as everyone had finished. When he saw Jim's arm around Trixie, something flashed across his face before an amused expression grew. He grinned. "So you guys are together now?" he asked, picking up their plates.

They blushed, shrugging.

Nick shook his head, smiling. "I owe Tad twenty bucks."

Dan let out a short laugh. "For what?"

Nick grinned. "He bet that they'd get together within the next year. I told him it would take longer."

The whole table burst into laughter. "You're serious?" Mart asked.

"Yup." He shook his head in wonder. "The whole of Sleepyside Junior/Senior High might as well have placed bets on you guys."

He leaned in and whispered, "You weren't really that inconspicuous."

The both blushed beat red, and Trixie buried her head in her hands. "That's terrible," she said.

Nick just shrugged, smiling.

Dan was still grinning. "Thanks for that, Nick. You just made my day."

The rest of the Bob-Whites nodded in agreement. "I guess news is going to spread fast after this," Trixie said dejectedly.

"Like wildfire," Nick confirmed with a wink. "Just be lucky you have a summer ahead of you for the news to die down." He was about to leave, but turned back to add, "And the fact that Jim doesn't go there anymore might help you out a bit too."

They all thanked Nick and Jim went to pay the bill, despite Brian's protests.

"Come on, Jim," he said. "You paid it last time."

As the boys squabbled, Honey whispered to Nick, "Charge it to my Dad's account," and he nodded, walking away just as they boys turned around from their argument.

Honey giggled when she saw their lost expressions. "I charged it to Daddy's account. So neither of you paid for it."

They both shook their heads, and as the group got up, Sarah thanked them all graciously.

"It was really nice meeting you guys," she said, and they all exchanged the same pleasantries.

"I hope we'll see each other again soon," Honey said, and Sarah agreed with her.

"How long are you staying in Sleepyside for?" Trixie asked curiously.

"Um, two weeks," Sarah said with a smile. "So maybe we can get together again."

They all gave their final partings, and then the group departed.


	44. You Like Him

A little bit of comic relief for you. I particularly had fun in writing this one. I hope you enjoy it!

-A

* * *

"She was _so_ nice," Di cooed to Honey and Trixie as the girls were working on the curtains for the clubhouse.

"I know," agreed Honey, looking across the table at Di. "And I think that she honestly was, not just to be polite."

After receiving no contribution from the blonde on their conversation about Sarah Yokaido, Di and Honey both turned to where Trixie had been working on photos, sitting on the sofa. As they suspected, she was deep in thought.

"What are you thinking of now, Trixie?" Honey asked curiously.

Trixie snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh," she shook her head, smiling a little. "Just my non-theory."

Di grinned. "You mean the one you were flirting with Jim about?"

Trixie gave her a _Seriously?_ look, shaking her head in wonder. "How can you possibly flirt with someone over a _theory_?"

"I don't know, but you managed," Di said, sewing needle being held between her lips as she cut a piece of fabric.

"How is the album going?" Honey asked, coming over and plopping in the seat beside Trixie.

"I've got about half of it done," Trixie replied.

She and Honey turned through the pages, looking at all the images from the last year. They usually put together photo album each year with all of the Bob-White photos that were taken that year.

Trixie sighed, looking back. "It's too bad the boys were at college. I miss having all the Bob-Whites here."

"It's too bad," Di agreed, smiling knowingly. "And I'm sure they miss, er, us." She coughed, muffling something that sounded like 'you guys.'

Trixie and Honey blushed. "Well," said Trixie, casting a glance at her best friend, "I'm sure they miss all of us. And as for Jim and I, well… that's different, but I'm sure Brian will miss a certain honey-haired girl more than us all."

Honey huffed. "Not true," she said, flushed.

"So true," Trixie and Di chimed, giggling as they did so. "He might as well just write you a love note professing his feelings," Di said theatrically, putting a hand over her forehead.

Trixie laughed. "And write a love song and sing it to you in front of everybody," she added, standing up and pretending to sing dramatically, one hand on her chest, one in the air, and mouth wide open as she sang a song with no sound.

Honey blushed and covered her face with her hands as Trixie and Di burst out laughing, each clutching their stomachs.

"Since when were you guys so terrible?" Honey asked, not unkindly.

Trixie shook her head, putting a hand on Honey's shoulder, looking somber. "Dear Honey, we are only trying to show you the extent of my brother affections for you, no doubt for your sweet disposition and pulchritude."

Honey pushed Trixie's hand away. "You sound like Mart," she said in mock disgust.

"Yeah," agreed Di, needle in hand. "What does 'pulkru—'pulta—"

"Pulchritude," Trixie said with a small laugh. "I picked that one up from all the times he talks about _you_, Diana." She pretended to quote Mart. "Oh my dear, pulchritudinous Diana, how fair art thou."

Honey burst into giggles. "Does it mean beautiful?" she asked, receiving a nod from Trixie.

"Well then," Di said, going back to the matter at hand, "Yes, Brian has definitely fell for your sweet position and pultilude."

Trixie burst into laughter, and was joined by Honey. "Goodness, Di," Trixie said, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. "_Disposition_ and _pulchritude,_" she corrected, falling back onto the sofa. "But yes, the oldest moron in our group has definitely fallen head over heels for you, Honey."

"And I'm pretty sure you recipro—repric—have the same feelings back," Di said, sighing as she couldn't form the word she wanted.

Honey huffed. "I do _not_ reciprocate non-existent feelings."

Trixie grinned mischievously. "But if they were existent…"

Honey shoved her lightly. "No."

"Oh come on, Honey," Di begged. "It's only us girls here. You can tell us anything."

"Yeah," agreed Trixie. "We just want to help you. At the moment, you're in denial."

Di nodded, as if this were common sense and they needed to explain the process to Honey. "Take Trixie and Jim for example," she began, causing a look from the blonde. "They were in denial for so long, even though we all knew they were going to be together. But if they had each confessed their feelings to one of us… well, the process would have taken about half the time."

"So what are you saying?" Honey asked, trying to look indifferent.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "We're _saying_ that you should tell us, even if you had the tiniest smidgen of a feeling for him, because then we'd be able to help you."

Di nodded. "And all the other Bob-Whites are coupling up, so you'll feel left out if you don't follow you heart."

Honey huffed. "Please. Me and Brian and Dan can stay single forever."

Di and Trixie burst out laughing.

"Okay, then," Trixie warned. "But when Brian gets tired of waiting, he'll move on and find someone else, and you'll have to live with it. And then you won't only hurt you, but you'll hurt the rest of us as well."

Di agreed. "Because whoever she is, she is _not_ going to become a Bob-White."

A small silence engulfed, and all three girls exchanged looks. Then they burst out laughing. "Goodness," Trixie exclaimed through giggles. "We're planning each other's futures."

"Well, we all know that Trixie and Jim are going to get married," Di began, almost receiving a pillow, except Trixie couldn't throw that far.

"How about you and Mart?" Trixie countered. "You'll probably get married before any of us."

Di waved it aside. "We'll discuss our wedding preparations after we get Honey and Brian together."

Again, Honey huffed.

Di looked seriously at Trixie. "Trixie, we need a plan."

Trixie nodded grimly. "If Honey won't tell us herself, we'll need to get Brian to ask her out."

Honey put her hands in the air in wonder. She turned to Trixie. "Fine then, Trixie. How did _Jim_ ask _you_ out?"

Trixie shrugged. "He didn't. He kissed me."

"Same here," Di added, receiving weird looks from Honey.

"Jim kissed you?" Honey asked, hiding her smile.

Di rolled her eyes. "No, Mart. He didn't ask me out. That's for people that barely know each other." She shook her head in disgust. "Overrated."

Trixie laughed. "So you mean you don't want Mart to ask you out on a date?"

Di shook her head. "He has. I mean that if Brian kissed you, that would show you he really likes you, and it would be so much better than if he asked you out."

Honey rolled her eyes. "Like Brian's going to come up and kiss me."

Trixie and Di gasped. "So you _want_ him to kiss you!" Di exclaimed, dropping her needling and walking over the couch where Trixie and Honey were.

Trixie and Di exchanged looks before shrieking gleefully.

"Oh my goodness, Honey," Trixie started. "You—"

"Hey," Honey protested. "I didn't say anything like that."

Di rolled her eyes. "You basically did. Look me in the eyes and say that you don't like Brian Belden."

She stared at Honey long and hard.

"Fine," Honey relented, looking back at Di determinedly. "I. Don't. Like. Bria—" She cut herself off, looking down into her lap, laughing. "This is stupid," she said, but Di and Trixie didn't hear her. They were too busy shrieking happily.

"So you _do_ like him," Trixie exclaimed, giving Honey a giant hug.

"I didn't—"

"Don't you dare deny it, Honey Wheeler," Di warned. "We all know it's true." She clasped her hands happily. "All we need to do is get Brian to confess as well."

Trixie nodded. "I'm sure the boys can help us with that."

"Help us with what?" someone asked, and a red head popped through the window.

"Jim!" Trixie admonished, and all three girls crowded around the window, looking astonished at the boy.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Di cried.

Jim shook his head. "No. But what could you possibly be talking about that's causing you to freak out like this?"

All girls exchanged looks.

Finally Trixie looked back at Jim. "We can't tell you Jim. Sorry." She didn't sound very sorry.

Jim raised an eyebrow. "Oh I'm sure I'll be able to draw it out of you somehow."

Trixie blushed, and Di shook her head vehemently. "No Jim Frayne. Seducing Trixie will _not_ work. We will never spill our secret."

Jim just shook his head. "Well, if you want 'the boys to help you with it', then you may want to tell us what _it_ is."

Trixie and Di exchanged deciding looks. Finally, Di looked back at Jim. "Is anyone with you?" she asked.

Jim shook his head, smiling slightly. "You guys are making it sound like some sort of covert operation. I'm alone right now, but Dan and Mart are joining me down here any minute."

"How about Brian?" Trixie asked immediately.

Jim looked at her quizzically. "He went to run some errands for your Dad. He should be back in half an hour. Why?"

Again, Di and Trixie exchanged looks. "That's perfect!" Di exclaimed. "Get everyone in here, ASAP. We need an emergency Bob-White meeting. Without Brian."

Jim looked at them questioningly, but went around to meet the guys, who were coming down the hill.

Once he left, Honey put her hands on both of their shoulders. "Guys," she said, and her voice was full of exasperation. "Why are you doing this? How do you know that I even _want _this?"

Trixie looked at her sympathetically. "Truly, Honey, if you really don't want us to, we won't, but we're pretty sure that you do."

Honey huffed. Finally, she pointed a warning finger at her friends, speaking low. "Fine. But I'm not going to be here, to save me from utter humiliation, and you _are_ _not_ going to tell them that I may like Brian. Okay?"

Both girls nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Honey," Trixie said. "I know exactly how I'm going to do this, and it will make it a lot more believable if you're not there. So don't worry. You're secret's safe with us."

Honey looked at them both skeptically before sighing. "Fine."

Trixie and Di both gave her a big hug, and she gave them a grudging smile in return.

"Now get going," Di said with a smile, and Honey left. Trixie told Di her simple plan, and once the boys entered the room, both Di and Trixie knew exactly what to do.

* * *

A/N You hear that Jim? Seducing Trixie won't work. But I'd love to see you try. ;)


	45. Let the Plan Begin

Voila. Here is another chapter. I kind of felt like writing fluff... so this chapter is mostly fluffly. I hope you don't mind.

But I can't imagine you would. :)

-A

* * *

Jim sighed. "Trixie, Di, your plan is—"

"Meddling," Mart offered.

"Persistent," Jim added.

"And so simple it just might work," Dan concluded.

Di and Trixie smiled gratefully at them. "So is that a yes?" Di asked.

All three boys exchanged looks. Finally, Jim looked back at them, raising an eyebrow. "Just one question. Why do we have to keep their answers away from each other? Why can't you tell us Honey's answer as soon as you get it?"

Di seemed to think about it, but Trixie answered easily. "Because what if you guys get Brian's answer before we get Honey's? If you tell us, it'll be hard for us to keep it from Honey."

"But if it's a yes, then it would help to tell her; if we find out that Brian _does_ like her, but you haven't yet found out if Honey likes Brian, it would help if you told her that _he_ likes _her,_" Jim said.

Trixie shook her head. "But what if Brian's answer is a no?"

"Or Honey's," Di added. She and Trixie had agreed to leave out the fact that they _did_ know Honey's answer. They made it seem as though they needed to find it. It was the least they could do for Honey.

Jim nodded. "Okay, I guess that makes sense. So… let's go over it once more."

Trixie started. "You guys go find out if Brian likes Honey by asking him and trying to get an answer. We do the same for Honey."

"Then, at the end of the week, we'll tell each other our findings," Di asked.

"Or how about we tell the other team that we've _gotten_ an answer; just not what the answer is. That way, if we've both got answers, we can speed up the process," Jim suggested.

All of them nodded in agreement.

"And we _don't_ tell them that we're talking to the other as well," Mart said.

"Okay," said Dan with a smile as their plan was concluded. "Let the fun begin."

* * *

Once everyone had filed out the door, Trixie decided to stay behind. At least she needed to put away the album and pictures; at most she'd stay and work on them. Just as she thought she was alone in the room, arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back against a hard chest.

Trixie blushed. "Jim," she said.

"Mm?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I was… just finishing up with these photos," she said, aware that her heart was beating faster than usual.

"I know," he said, his breath tickling her ear. "I kind of wanted to look at them." He paused for a second before adding, "And I thought you needed company." Trixie hoped she wasn't blushing too hard when he spun her around gracefully so her chest was against his, his arms still around her waist.

Trixie found it hard to look up. "I'm not much for company, so…"

His head nudged hers up so she was looking at his face. "You're the best company," he said, and Trixie could hear that he meant it.

Not sure what came over her, but a sudden need forced her to fit her lips against his quite suddenly, and although Jim was surprised, he didn't seem to mind. This time, he didn't stop them like he did in the kitchen, and nobody else walked in on them like had happened before.

And so the passion built up, and they both go hungrier and more heated, until Trixie felt that she could no longer stand; she was melting. And somehow Jim sensed it, because without stopping or skipping a single beat, he took a few steps backward and collapsed on the couch, bringing Trixie after him so she was on his lap, her legs on either side of his, knees in front and feet at the back.

And then she had to breathe, and so pulled away a few centimeters to let some well needed oxygen in, but she couldn't force her face away from touching his, and obviously neither could he, and he rested his forehead against hers, her nose against his. After a few moments of staring into his eyes, her gaze involuntarily travelled down his face and rested on his lips, where a boyish grin spread.

"Trixie," he said quietly, only a little bit of roughness in his voice, though a tiny hint of amusement was there also.

"Mhm?" She tore her gaze away from his lips and up his face, where his eyes were glimmering with… something, and a little bit of mirth.

"Do you know if someone looks at your lips it means they want to kiss you?" he asked.

Trixie flushed, and then the stubborn, indignant part of her took hold as she looked up into his eyes, managing to pull her face away from touching his, which she could tell he was disappointed with, even though it only flashed on his face for a moment.

"Is that so, Mr. Frayne?" she asked, keeping her voice as leveled as possible.

He nodded slightly. Trixie smiled a tiny bit. "Although," she began, a mischievous look on her face, "there are other ways to tell."

As soon as she said that, his eyes widened, and he looked down immediately to his lap, but breathed a sigh of relief just as soon as he did. Red in the face from what he had took her words to mean, he made himself look up, where she was fighting a smile. "Not funny, Belden," he muttered, not looking her in the face.

"What's not funny, Jim?" she asked innocently.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Since when did you…"

Trixie grinned. "I'm fifteen, Jim." Then, leaning in, she whispered in his ear. "I've taken that class."

Flustered, Jim ran a hand through his hair. "Trixie, you—"

"Aren't a child? Thank you, Jim. I had no idea."

Jim shook his head, looking up in the air before closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers.

Trixie smiled slightly before giving him a brief kiss. Then she jumped off his lap and onto the floor, causing Jim to look up in surprise, and Trixie had to smile to herself when she saw he looked rather disappointed.

"I think you took up all of my time to work on these photos," she said casually, picking up the unfinished album and putting it on the shelf.

"But," she added, looking at Jim, "If anyone asks, we _were_ working on it." And with a wink, she walked to the door of the clubhouse, looking expectantly at him. With a grudging smile, he got up and made his way over, holding open the door. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before racing off and leaving him to lock up the clubhouse, and once she left, he collapsed back against the door and sighed, putting a hand on his forehead and shaking his head.

* * *

"I can't believe you guys talked me into that," Honey said when Trixie and Di were done briefing her about the meeting they had had with the boys.

"Oh come on, Honey," Di said. "It's going to be great."

"And if he says no?" Honey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Simple," Trixie said from where she was sitting beside Honey on the bed. "He won't."

Honey groaned and fell back on her bed. "But it's not just if he _likes_ me that he'll consider. What about the fact that he's in college and I'm just going to high school, or that I'm two years younger than him, or—"

"Stop worrying, Honey," Di said, looking sympathetically at her friend. "And anyways," she said, eyes glimmering mischievously. "It didn't stop Jim."

Honey's lips twitched. "Well we all know that he's madly in love with Trixie, so you can't exactly expect that to make me feel better."

Trixie blushed beat red, but thankfully, Di caused the subject to veer right back to where it was before.

"But Brian's madly in love with you," she said, "so you might as well just treat it as a done deal."

Trixie had to laugh at Di's logic. "Yeah; treat it like a done deal. Imagine you're already together, so you could go up to him and kiss him right now. It's a done deal."

Honey threw a pillow at Trixie. "You guys are infuriating."

"It's our job, Hon," Di said. "And we're trying to help you, so you know…"

"Oh," Trixie said, sitting up. "One more thing, Honey. The boys don't know that we've asked you and gotten your answer already, so just pretend to not know anything about the plan, okay?"

Honey huffed. "Don't worry. I don't want to even _think_ about this plan of yours."

Trixie smiled. "That's the spirit!" She fell back in time to dodge the half-hearted smack that was coming at her.

Di and Trixie giggled. "So Honey, we can gloat now," Di said.

"About what?" Honey asked tiredly.

"You _do_ like Brian," Di replied gleefully. "We were right."

"Boo-hoo," Honey said, sticking out her tongue and blushing a little. "It's not like I'll be disappointed or anything if he doesn't like me. I just wouldn't mind it if he did."

"Oh pooh," Trixie said. "Of course you would care if he didn't like you. But he does, so don't worry. Just admit it Honey, you like him."

Honey didn't say anything.

"The hard part is getting Brian to admit it," Di said, clamping a hand over her mouth when she saw Trixie's glare. _Not helping,_ she told herself.

Honey wanted to change the subject. She sat up and looked at Trixie. "Did you finish the album, Trixie?"

Trixie looked flustered and blushed at little. "It's about half done."

Di frowned, looking curiously at the blonde. "But after the meeting you worked on it for a little while, didn't you?"

Trixie blushed. "Well, actually… er… I didn't work on it much, because, um, I was just looking through the pictures… not actually adding any pictures into it. Because… er…"

Honey and Di exchanged amused looks. They both knew what was going on.

Honey tried to hide her smile. "Did _Jim_ happen to look through those pictures with you?"

Again, Trixie flushed. "Um, he wanted to look at them… so…"

Honey and Di burst out laughing. "Okay Trix," Di said. "If you say so."

This time, _Trixie_ collapsed on the bed and buried her head in the fabric.

"Goodness, Trixie," Di said. "You guys have only been together for a day and a half. You're going fast. Making out in the clubhouse, footsies at the dinner table,—"

Trixie threw a large pillow into Di's face. "Shut-up," she said, face extremely red.

Honey giggled. "And I bet we don't even know half of it."

* * *

A/N You're right, Honey. You don't. ;)


	46. Girl's Night Out

Chapter #46. I hope you like it. A bit of fun, but I'm responsible enough to get back to the mystery. Don't worry. :)

* * *

"That's perfect!" Di squealed.

Honey and Trixie nodded in agreement. "If the boys are all going to be at the Manor House," said Trixie, "us girls should sleep over at Crabapple Farm. Girl's night out."

Honey and Di smiled in anticipation. "That would be great," Di said.

Honey nodded. "If that's okay with your parents, then I think that would be great, too."

"Oh, Moms won't mind," Trixie said. "But I should probably get back and do some chores. I'll ask her when I'm there, but I'm sure she won't say no."

"I'll have to ask my parents as well," Di said.

Honey agreed. "I think since the boys are all going to be sleeping over at my house that Miss Trask won't mind a bit."

And so the girls adjourned. Di was to go home, Honey did the same, and Trixie… well Trixie went home too.

* * *

When Trixie got home, she walked through the door to hear humming. To Trixie's surprise, her mother was kitchen, wearing her familiar apron and baking. The mixer was on, but right when Trixie entered, her mother switched it off and poured the thick mixture into the floured counter top, where she went to kneading it.

"Moms," Trixie said in surprise.

Her mother smiled at her. "Hello, dear."

Trixie walked over. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked.

"Never better, actually," Helen replied. "I felt so good, and I was so tired of lying in bed all day, that I decided to bake a pie."

Trixie smiled and gave her peck on the cheek. "As long as you're feeling okay. But don't strain yourself."

Helen smiled at her. "Don't worry, Trixie. I'll be fine."

Trixie remembered what she wanted to ask. "Oh, Moms?"

Helen looked up from the dough she was rolling out. "Yes, Trixie?"

"Since Mart and Brian are going to be staying at the Manor House along with Dan and Jim tonight, is it okay if Honey and Di come and we have a sleepover here?"

Helen smiled, but looked a bit puzzled. "Mart and Brian are staying at the Wheeler's tonight?"

Trixie frowned. "Yeah, didn't they tell you?"

As if on cue, Mart came into the kitchen. Seeing his mom and sister, and no doubt noticing the pie that was being made, he walked into the kitchen and gave his mother a peck on the cheek.

"What splendid, sacchariferous delight are you preparing for our enjoyment at the moment?" he asked, receiving a dry smile.

"Cherry pie," Helen answered. "And is there something that you're forgetting to tell me?"

Mart's face went blank for a second before he remembered. "Oh, yes. Brian and I are staying at Jim's tonight. Is that okay?" He gave her another peck on the cheek before she even answered, and said "Thanks, love you," as he walked purposefully out of the kitchen.

When he was gone, Trixie and her mom exchanged looks before laughing lightly. "I'm glad to know he wanted my answer," Helen said, rolling her eyes before putting her pie crust in the pan. She looked up from her work for one more second. "Oh, and yes, Trixie, having Honey and Di over would be just fine."

Trixie smiled widely. "Thanks Moms."

Helen offered a small smile as she went back to her pouring in the filling.

"Oh," Trixie added, "And don't clean up. I'll do it. You shouldn't strain yourself too much." Trixie planted a kiss on her cheek. "And now I'm off to do the dusting," she said before walking out of the kitchen.

Her daughter's last offer caused Helen to look after Trixie as she left. Then, satisfied that she had heard correct, Helen shook her head, going back to her pie. _Oh, yes, Helen. The world is _definitely _full of surprises._

* * *

After confirming their invitation with her friends, the rest of the afternoon was past with chores, which Trixie made herself do the whole afternoon. And knowing that she was saving her mother a lot of work, she didn't mind it.

Just before six, her brothers and their overnight bags were about to leave. As they passed the table, where Trixie and her mom were finishing setting up for the girls, Mart purposely ruffled his sister's hair, receiving an irritated sound and a whack to his hand.

Mart winked at her. "Don't worry, squaw. I'll tell Jim you said hi."

Hoping not to blush, Trixie stuck her tongue out at him as he left. "You'll catch flies," he called back to her before joining his brother.

Trixie didn't look at her mother as they finished setting the table, and so she avoided the small, well-supressed smile that had grown on Helen Belden's face.

* * *

When everyone in the family had eaten, Helen went to put Bobby to bed, and Mr. Belden went up to his room. He, unlike his wife, hadn't felt very well today.

The girls finished cleaning up the table and the kitchen and then gathered in Trixie's room. Once the door shut, they all collapsed on the floor.

"You're Mom's roast is _so_ good," Honey said, rubbing her stomach.

Di agreed whole-heartedly. "And her pie," she said dreamily.

"Mmm," Trixie agreed. "So what do you guys want to do now?" she asked, sitting on her front, arms folded under her.

"I want to talk," Di said. "Tell secrets,"

"Gossip," Honey added.

Trixie smiled a little. "Okay then." She and her friends moved in closer. "So," she began, keeping her voice low. She looked at Di. "Di," she said. "How far have you and my nitwit brother gone in your relationship, hmm?"

Honey muffled her giggles and looked at Di curiously, and the fair brunette blushed gracefully, not meeting the gaze of her friends.

"Well…" she began, and her friends looked at her eagerly. "We've kissed," she offered quietly.

Honey and Trixie rolled their eyes. "Come on," Honey begged. Why all of them were whispering, they had no idea, but they were talking about some serious issues. No one outside of the room was supposed to hear a word.

"Okay, fine," Di relented, taking a deep breath. "We've kissed, we've made-out, played footsies, I've sat on his lap, he's touched—"

Trixie covered her ears. "Okay, too much information. That's my brother we're talking about."

Di shrugged, smiling. "You asked, Trixie." Her eyes glittered mischievously. "And anyways. You're in a relationship too. It's not like you're entirely innocent."

Trixie blushed fiercely, remembering what had happened in the clubhouse that afternoon. And she realized that everything Di had completed listing so far, she and Jim had already done. And they'd been going out for two days.

"Exactly," Di said, as if reading her thoughts.

"But go on," Honey begged Di. "You didn't finish."

A part of Trixie wanted to hear the rest of the list for her own use, but the other part knew that she'd never be able to look at Mart the same way.

"I know that this could be a particularly useful conversation, but I don't think I'd want to hear the rest of this… enlightening list. I'm going to go get some snacks," Trixie said, getting up. "And Di, if you aren't done telling Honey all about your love life by the time I come back up, then—" She didn't get to finish her thought because of a knock on the door. When Trixie opened it, her friends laughed at the sight of her mother carrying up a tray of snacks.

"Thanks Mrs. Belden," both girls called.

She smiled as Trixie took the tray, her female intuition guessing why her daughter looked so miffed about accepting it.

"Thanks, Moms," Trixie said.

"Oh, one more thing," Helen added before closing the door. She held out the phone. "Call Sergeant Molinson back," she said. "He called to tell you something."

Trixie looked puzzled at the thought, but accepted the phone with thanks, and her mother closed the door and left, taking the advice of the girls and going to her bedroom to rest. She was curious, however, why the sergeant had called. She doubted that normal teenage girls got calls from the police station on a regular basis. But then again, Helen thought, her daughter wasn't exactly a normal teenage girl. Thinking about the events of yesterday got her to change her mind just a little bit. Okay, she thought, smiling, maybe her daughter _was_ a normal teenage girl. At least when it came to boys.


	47. Police Plans and Stealth Opperations

Here we go. I'm planning on finishing the story this week, so... this is setting up the wonderful roll of events that is going to take place. I hope you enjoy!

-A

* * *

Once the door of Jim's room closed, Brian knew he was in trouble. He started to have suspicions at dinner, but he just wasn't sure what he was suspicious of. All he knew was that his friends were up to something. If the glances at each other across the dinner table weren't enough, the deciding factor was probably when all the boys were in Jim's room, once the door slammed shut, and all eyes turned to Brian.

"So, Brian," Dan started as all the boys took seats on the two twin beds that faced each other.

Brian rolled his eyes. "So, Brian what?"

Dan grinned at him. He decided that since the group hadn't exactly been very inconspicuous about their whole operation so far, he'd take his questioning a different angle to try and throw the suspicion off of what the whole mission was really about.

"So what do you think about your sister's relationship thus far?" he said, and promptly received a pillow in the head from a surprised red head. Jim wasn't stupid— he knew the purpose of Dan's veer from the right path. He just wished that Dan would have chosen a different topic than the one that the group hadn't given a break since summer started.

A small smile crept onto Brian's face, and he cast a glance at Jim, who was seated next to him on one of the twin beds. "It's very… interesting, I'll tell you that much."

Mart grinned. "Very interesting indeed." He turned to Jim. "Speaking of which, where were you this afternoon after the meeting, Jim?"

As soon as he said it, Dan and Jim cursed silently, and Mart realized his mistake too late.

"What meeting?" Brian asked, frowning.

Luckily, Jim thought quickly. He rolled his eyes. "When you were running those errands for your dad, the girls called this pointless emergency Bob-White meeting to decide on what kind of rods we should use for the curtains. They found this old one a few weeks ago at some sale. They wanted to know which one they should use: the old one or the new one."

Dan snorted, helping Jim with his lie. "It was kind of stupid, because they didn't even finish the curtains yet."

Mart shook his head. "Squaws."

Thankfully, Brian laughed. "I'm glad I wasn't there for that."

The other boys silently sighed in relief.

"So what were you saying about Jim after the meeting?" Brian asked.

Mart smiled. "Right after, Dan and I went to lend our assistance to Regan in the stables, since he had to do a lot of driving today. We thought Jim was coming too, but we waited around ten minutes before he finally came."

"And I'm pretty sure that he wasn't helping the girls with the curtains, because we saw them pass by the stables on the way to the Manor House," Dan added. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "All except Trixie."

Brian raised an eyebrow at the red head sitting beside him. Jim looked like he wanted to shrivel up into a hole. He remembered what had delayed him from joining the boys at the stables. And it had nothing to do with new curtains.

Jim tried to keep a straight face. "I… wanted to look at the photos in the album she was working on."

Dan and Mart burst out laughing. "Load of crap," Dan said.

Brian couldn't help but laughing too. "I'm sure photos were exactly what you were looking at, huh Jim?" he said, nudging his best friend, who was red in the face.

"Whatever," Jim mumbled, collapsing back on his bed.

"Say, Brian," Dan called, once the laughter had died down. "You realize that you're the only single male left in the Bob-Whites right?"

Brian looked at Dan, a bit surprised at the change in subject. "So are you not single or not male?"

Jim and Mart laughed at that, but Dan just brushed it aside. "I don't count," he said. "I don't have a love interest amongst the Bob-Whites."

Brian flushed. "And I do?"

"You do," Dan confirmed. "Jim's not the only one who likes someone's sister."

"I—" Brian was cut off.

"We care about you, buddy," Mart said to his brother. "We just want to know one thing."

"Do you honestly like Honey?" Jim finished.

Brian didn't answer for a little while.

"We swear we won't tease you about it," Mart said.

"For now," Dan mumbled.

Brian sighed. "Guys, the thing is… I kinda—"

The door to Jim's room burst open, and the girls, hastily dressed in jeans, t-shirts, and jackets, stood in the door. "Guys," Trixie said, face grim, "Sergeant Molinson wants us all down at the station. Now."

* * *

Now, normally a group of boys would be totally psyched at a bunch of girls pouring into the room during a sleep over. But these boys knew that the arrival of the girls had only meant trouble. And it had.

As the group was driving at the station, Brian at the wheel of the loaded station wagon, Trixie explained how the sergeant had called, telling them that an emergency had come up, and that they were to be at the station ASAP. He didn't explain much else.

When they entered the station, the lights were on, and it seemed as though all of the officers of Sleepyside were there, talking and planning. There was an air of gravity, and Trixie could hear small snippets. From what she heard, she gathered that something, or some_one_, was lost.

Spider saw the group enter, and, his face grim, he pointed them to the back.

Sergeant Molinson was standing up behind his desk, deeply engrossed in some papers and his computer monitor, and his face was etched with stress and worry.

When he saw them come in, he wasted no time on formalities. "In case you haven't gathered it already," he began, voice strong despite his obvious stress, "someone has been kidnapped. Normally we'd ask them to wait 24 hours to file a missing persons report; state regulations, but this one was of particular interest, and we knew that it was possible for it to be serious." He took a deep breath. "The Hokaido brothers called in half-an-hour ago, panicked because someone had broken into their house. Sarah Yokaido was found to be missing."

The group bit back gasps.

"And there's more," he added, showing them another evidence pan that was on his desk. "Right after we got the call, we found this note on the front desk." He pushed it towards them, and the group looked at the thick, heavy block letters. "YOU'LL NEVER FIND HER. SHE GAVE AWAY TOO MUCH. SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE HUNG OUT WITH THE KID SNOOPS. STOP LOOKING. YOU WON'T FIND HER— ALIVE."

When the group was done reading, and their faces showed that they were both worried and appalled, the sergeant said, "And we checked the security video. It showed someone dressed in complete black drop it off at the front desk. The office on duty had gone to the back for two minutes, and during those two minutes the criminal had dropped off the note and left.

"We checked the perimeter of the house, but we're sure that whoever it was took her away somewhere. And we called you here because you were some of the last people to see her. We were wondering if you might have any idea as to where they might have taken her, or who _they_ might be."

The group was silent for a moment, taking in the frightening news and thinking. No one said anything about the whole story; they were too shocked.

Trixie was obviously deep in thought. Suddenly, her face turned white. She shook her head. "I can't believe I didn't think of this before," she exclaimed, sounding worried. "Sarah basically told us who it was; I just didn't see it."

The sergeant looked at her expectantly.

"She said that her ex-boyfriend had been convicted of helping her parents and that he went to jail. I'm wondering if he possibly got granted parole."

The sergeant furiously typed things in the computer, and then his face turned as white as Trixie's. "Darren Cho was bailed out of jail on terms of good behavior." The sergeant read more, and then his face turned almost ghost white. "Let out of New York State Prison two weeks ago, his parole officers last saw him heading towards Sleepyside on the Hudson." He looked up at the group, and they were all thinking the same thing.

"He's our man," Sergeant Molinson said, and they all nodded.

"Now we just need to know where they are," Brian observed, voice shaking.

"We should—" The sergeant was cut off by an officer who frantically entered the office.

"Boss," he said, sounding worried. "We just got a call. They, er…" he cast an unsure glance at the teens.

The sergeant shook his head. "It's fine, they can hear. What is it?" he asked impatiently.

The officer came in a little more. "The Hokaidos are really shaken up, and they're on their way to the station right now. Apparently they got a call telling them that if they wanted Sarah back alive, they'd have to put twenty grand by stall 191 at Sleepyside Storage by twelve tonight. And the Hokaidos were upset because they didn't have twenty grand. They'd have helped her if they could, but… and apparently, the Hokaidos were told that if they called the cops, she'd be dead. But they did, so…"

The sergeant's face aged out twenty years. "If they see us coming, she's dead. Get Spider and two other officers in here right now."

"Sir," the officer nodded, hurrying off.

Honey immediately spoke. "Sergeant Molinson," she said. "If the Hokaidos can't pay the ransom, then I'm sure Daddy would be happy to. We could get the money and—"

"Look, Honey," the sergeant said, "We can't. The Hokaidos already called the cops, so she's as good as dead. Our only chance is to get their before they get the chance to finish this thing off."

Trixie frowned. "If they weren't worried about being caught, they wouldn't have threatened to kill Sarah if the Hokaido's called the cops. So obviously they think we know where they're keeping her. So it means that they're keeping her where the ransom is supposed to be dropped off."

Jim nodded. "What if we set up a decoy? We could have someone looking for Sarah, and someone dropping off a fake ransom."

Just then, the officers that the sergeant had wanted entered the room. They had obviously heard Jim and Trixie speak. Spider spoke, gesturing to Jim. "The kid's plan might work," he said.

Another officer spoke. "And Trixie's right. They're probably keeping her somewhere by the storage area."

Sergeant Molinson nodded. "McPhee, take a bunch of guys to the storage place, but stop a few blocks away and walk. Surround the place, but make sure you stay hidden. They see you, the girl's dead."

One of the officers nodded and went off.

"Daniels, get one our ransom cases and ask the Hokaidos when they come if they're willing to drop it off. Report back."

The second officer nodded and walked out of the office.

"Spider. You're coming with me- we're watching the operation. First get a group of guys for back up and tell them to stay on guard in case we need support. Get them to park about a block away and await instructions. Then meet me back here."

Spider nodded and hurried off.

The sergeant turned to the teens. "Thing are at the most dangerous point. If you want, you can stay here or go home and we'll call you with how things go."

Trixie's eyes widened. "But we don't get to come? Can't we—"

"No, Belden. We're not having you in line of fire. The offer I gave you is the best I can do. Sorry, Trixie. This one's too dangerous."

Trixie sighed, and Jim, seeing how dejected she looked, laced his fingers through hers and gave a comforting squeeze.

To everyone's surprise, it was Brian who spoke up. "So she can't watch how it's going with you and Spider in the cruiser?"

The sergeant scratched his head. "I'd rather you didn't, but…"

"What if you and Spider have to leave the car for some reason? What if someone radio's the car's pager with a message?" Trixie looked hopefully at the sergeant.

The sergeant sighed. "Look, Belden. I guess, if your parents will allow it, I can take three of you. But you have to follow _every _single order, even if I tell you have to run, or leave. You up to it?"

Trixie grinned at threw her arms around the sergeant, who grunted. "Thank you, Sergeant Molinson. I promise, we'll follow every single order, and—"

"Hold up," the sergeant said. "I still have to call your parents. And who else is coming?"

Immediately, Jim and Honey both stepped up.

Brian looked at Honey, like he was protesting his not being there to protect her, but he let it go.

"I guess that settles it," the sergeant said, sighing. He shook his head. _How do I let them talk me into this kind of stuff?_


	48. Watch and Wonder

Third last chapter of them all. I hope to get two or three more before the end. I hope you enjoy! :)

-A

* * *

Jim, Trixie, and Honey sat at the back of the cruiser as it raced just outside of downtown, into a rather abandoned section of Sleepyside. Trixie had been to Sleepyside Storage just once; to drop of something with her dad when she was nine years old. Even then, she thought the place was shabby. The rusted, faded blue tin garages were seven feet wide and the old, creaky doors opened inwards into a bare, dusty cement room about nine feet deep.

As they neared it, the landscape showed no more buildings or houses, but a field of grass and trees, not well kept at that. Trixie was in the middle between Honey and Jim, and she could see could just see outside that they were getting close. She'd been thinking about poor Sarah. Nobody had said it, but the fact that they had lunch with Sarah and talked with her had been the given reason of her kidnapping. Trixie knew, sitting beside her tense, weary yet wary friends that they thought it was somewhat their fault also. They knew that nobody else would let them blame themselves, but between the group, it would always lie on their shoulders if Sarah were to be— No, Trixie, she chided herself. Don't worry. We'll get there in time. She tried to convince herself of that.

As she thought about it, there were many un-finished bits of the plan that Sergeant Molinson either hadn't filled in or hadn't told her about. Both options were extremely likely. She thought about how one of the Hokaidos were going to drop off the ransom, taking their own car, and that the police were going to watch. Darren Cho would take the 'money', which Sergeant Molinson had assured her was a state of the art police briefcase of fake, unusable money that would appear to be the ransom, and then, if the plan went properly, he'd hand over Sarah.

A few things about the whole ordeal made Trixie uneasy. If Darren knew about the police surrounding the area, would he come? Would he knowingly walk into a trap? Probably not, considering once Darren showed up, the police would ambush him. The plan relied on Darren to bring Sarah with him when he picked up the ransom. If not, the police would have to get it out of him somehow. Another thing that didn't make sense to Trixie was that in his note, Darren had said that he wouldn't hand Sarah over because she knew who he was, and that she could tell the authorities. So why would he offer to give her back?

Trixie felt the car stop, and she looked to see them on a winding road in an old area of Sleepyside, where lots of old, out of commission factories were sitting. They parked in a strategic spot. Instead of following to road for a kilometer and turning left twice to reach the entrance to the warehouse, the car was parked at the back yard of the storage place, on the grass on the opposite side of the road. They were well hidden by trees and by the darkness of the night, but they could see into the barbed wire fence the rows and rows of storage compartments. Sergeant Molinson told them that the row they were looking into, all the way down, were compartments 150-200. 191 should be there somewhere.

The group just waited. Trixie looked around to see if she could see any of the hidden officers. Trixie had to give them props. They were hidden very well, just outside the low fence, hiding in the dark bushes. Trixie had to squint and look very hard, and even then, it took her a while to find even one figure, crouching behind a shrub.

Soon Trixie began to get a bit restless. It seemed like an unspoken rule to… well… remain unspoken. The entire car was quiet, and the evening was quiet, unlike the ride here when lots of officers kept on calling in to update the sergeant. Now, everyone just watched. Trixie knew that everything were to happen at twelve. Then, Mr. Hokaido, whichever one had volunteered, would drop of the briefcase and, hopefully, receive Sarah.

Trixie couldn't see the dashboard of the cruiser because of the mesh separating the officers from the 'criminals.' She wanted to see what time it was, but she wasn't wearing her watch. Trixie lifted up Jim's hand, who was seated on her left, and peered at the watch face. _11:57_. Her insides fluttered with nerves. It was almost time.

Jim, who had looked up when Trixie had grabbed his hand, now noticed what her purpose was behind it. When she was about to put his wrist back down, he folded his fingers around hers, and she smiled a little, squeezing before letting go. Trixie tapped Honey on the shoulder. When her best friend looked at her, she held up three fingers and mouthed, _three minutes. _Honey's eyes widened, and an excited yet nervous look passed across her face as she locked hands with her best friend and they stared ahead in anticipation.

They waited, the three minutes the longest of their life, until Mr. Hokaido appeared in the row of storage, standing outside one stall which Trixie supposed was number 191. He looked around, obviously nervous. He set the briefcase down, just as he was told, and waited.

And the entire group waited as well.

And they waited.

And they waited.

Trixie frowned. Something was wrong. Sergeant Molinson and Spider sensed it too, because they exchanged looks. They waited a little longer, until 12:10, and still no one showed up. That's when several things happened at once.

Something blared over the speaker, and Spider and Sergeant Molinson listened and frowned, worried expressions on their face. They spoke briefly, nothing Trixie could hear, and then both opened the doors, telling the Bob-Whites to stay in the car. They didn't offer any explanations before they left. When the doors closed, the three friends exchanged puzzled looks.

"Did you hear what they were saying?" Trixie asked finally, breaking the long silence, but still speaking in a whisper. It didn't seem right to talk loudly. They all felt it.

"All I heard was 'problem' and 'other car'," Honey said.

"I got 'meet us at the' and 'we should'," Jim said. "I wonder what's going on."

They waited, and Trixie frowned. Something had been nagging at her the whole time. Something with the whole ordeal tonight, ever since they found out the Darren Cho was their man.

Suddenly, the door on Jim's side opened and someone's cold hands clamped over both his mouth and Trixie's. Honey was about to scream out, but a gun's bullet clicked into place, the intruder taking his hand off of Trixie's mouth to point the gun at all of them. The message was clear. _Try to fight or call out, and your dead._

The Bob-Whites were lead out of the car, kicking and thrashing. When the man, who was wearing a black face mask, saw that they weren't going to be cooperative, he cocked his gun again, and they all fell silent. Against their will, he gagged them, and Trixie could see that Jim would've easily been able to fight the man, who was slender yet tall, were it not for the gun trained on Trixie the whole time. The man tied their hands.

Much to all of their surprise, the man took just Honey, gagged and bound, and shoved her back into the car, having taped some sort of note to her chest. Then, after having let them all witness what was going on, he blindfolded all three of them before closing the car door on Honey and leading Jim and Trixie away.

_Oh, Sergeant Molinson,_ Trixie thought. _Where are you?_


	49. Blood and Tears

Second last chapter. I hope you enjoy. The next one should conclude the whole thing. I'm so sad to be done, but I hope to be back again. :)

* * *

Blindfolded, gagged and bound, their kidnapper led them away, in what direction, Trixie couldn't say. After walking for a little while, he finally stopped them, holding them each in place as he fiddled with something, and once Trixie heard the creaking of doors, she realized it was a lock. He pushed them in, and through her blindfold, Trixie could just see a light being turned on and hear the door being shut.

She guessed that he had taken them to one of the old storage places. Immediately, he seated them in hard wooden chairs and tied their arms behind them. As he tied her hands, Trixie felt his cold fingers tying the harsh rope tightly, and when he was done, the uncomfortably tight rope began to itch and scratch at her skin. He did the same to her legs around the ankles, tying them to the front of the chair.

Trixie didn't expect it when her blindfold was ripped off, and she looked around frantically. About two meters in front of her, Jim sat it the same position as her. The door was behind her, and a tiny light hanging from the ceiling cast the small room in a yellow glow. The cement walls and familiar door assured her that they _were_ in one of the storage stalls. Trixie just didn't know which one.

She met eyes with Jim, and a silent, frightened message passed between them. _We need to get out of here._

Again, Trixie looked around, and saw their kidnapper. He was tall and lithe, and having taken off his mask, she saw that he was also rather handsome, was it not for the scar that ran from his chin to his cheek. He had brown hair and looked like he was from somewhere in Asia. But, Trixie realized with a start, he was not Darren Cho.

She had seen his mug shot, and she was 100% sure that the man in front of her was _not_ the man they had suspected. The thought made her nauseous. How many other things had they gotten wrong?

The man smiled amusedly and came over to Trixie. Trixie didn't know what he was going to do, but all he did was loosen the ties around her the back of her mouth so the limp gag fell to her neck. As he moved to do the same to Jim, Trixie took in a deep breath of the cold air, which was surprisingly fresh in the cramped place. Then she noticed the little hole in one of the back corners, about the size of a sheet of paper, showing the dark night sky.

"Who are you?" Trixie asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "And what do you want with us?"

The man smiled at her cruelly. "Well, Miss Sherlock Holmes, why don't you take a guess?" He didn't have an accent that she could hear.

Her lip quivered. Suddenly, the startling realization came to her. "There are two of you," she said, her voice in awe.

The man grinned, showing perfect white teeth. "And how did you come up with that?"

Her mouth set in a hard line. She didn't want to answer his questions, but she saw Jim looking curiously at her too. She decided that he and her would both need to be on the same page if there was any chance of their escaping.

She looked at Jim as she spoke. "Darren Cho is his partner. Except that Darren went to jail, and…"

"I didn't," the man finished. "Which is quite a good deal for me, considering I was one of the masterminds behind the whole plot."

Trixie and Jim both looked at him. "You worked with Serena and Robert Yokaido?" Jim asked, his voice strong and bitter.

The man smiled. "There were four of us, alright. The police just didn't know that." He chuckled, as if the memory amused him. "The police just didn't know about me."

Trixie's eyes widened. "You were probably the one that kept the syringes. The police couldn't find them anywhere, so…"

The man smiled at her again. He seemed pleased whenever she got an answer right, as if her talking amused him greatly. "Yes, I did. And I also managed to avoid any of the dirty work."

"You were just the planner," Jim guessed.

"The brains, yes," the man said. "And Darren and Robert did the dirty work. Serena… well, Serena was never quite right in the head," he said, smiling as he thought of it. "She was more… there for moral support, if you will. She was our little puppy, running around and getting whatever we needed. Doing whatever we needed her to do." He grinned. "Good times."

Trixie's mouth tasted vile. "That's disgusting," she said, and the man just shrugged.

"It was beautiful when it happened. It almost worked, too." His expression turned sour. "If it weren't for Darren's stupid girlfriend, it wouldn't have ended."

Trixie frowned, then her eyes widened. "Where's Sarah?" she demanded, realizing she had momentarily forgotten the girl.

The man grinned, sending a chill down Trixie's back. "Let's just say that Darren wants some… quality time, I suppose, with his ex."

Jim and Trixie exchanged looks, both thinking the same worried thoughts.

"You'll never get away with this," Trixie said, but she could hear herself, and she didn't sound very sure.

Jim's expression was hard as he looked at the man. "What are we here for? Why don't you just let us go?"

"Too late for that," the man said, chuckling. "And anyways. Darren got to take out his revenge. So why can't I?"

"Revenge?" Trixie questioned, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "For what?"

"Well," the man began. "Sarah ruined our plan. Darren's been mad at her ever since. And Darren can hold a grudge." He walked a little closer to Trixie, taking his time. "And as for _my_ revenge, well, let's just say you've messed up _my_ plan, Belden."

Jim looked in alarm as the man got closer to Trixie. He didn't at all like where this was going, and he needed something to talk about that would stop his approach to Trixie. Thankfully, he had lots of questions.

"Wait," Jim said, and, as he hoped, the man turned to him. "I thought Sarah was overseas when all of that happened. How did she ruin your plan?"

The man smiled. "She was only away from the beginning of the whole ploy. She came back to the states closer to the end of it. We were going to keep going, and we wouldn't have stopped, but Sarah found out. She was clever about it too. Showed up in the most inconvenient times, taking Darren away, ruining our plot at the seams before we even knew she was on to us. Once she had collected all the evidence she needed, she called the cops. But she never even knew I was in it. That was the best part. And so I got away, took all of our plans and things and kept them away safely. Me and Darren swore revenge. And we will have it."

Trixie looked at him in alarm. "Why did you go to Sleepyside?" she asked curiously.

"Because Sarah was here. And the Hokaidos." He grinned at the thought of the Japanese brothers. "We were going to pin it on them, and Sarah would watch as the same thing happened again. She'd watch as the same crime that she had caught her parents doing start again, and this time, she'd be unable to stand it. She never did care for her parents. But she'd have been heartbroken if the Hokaidos were involved."

Trixie frowned at him, and was about to ask more, but Jim beat her to it. "Why did you drag us all here, then? You wanted to pin the whole thing on the Hokaidos, but you just proved them innocent by breaking into their house and calling them. Now the police know about Darren."

The man grinned. "And still not about me. I might as well not exist. But, to answer your question, we called you all here for one reason. We knew that the Hokaidos would call the police. Our phone call was just to make it more believable. The ransom was all false. We knew we'd never get the money. But the note was true. We're not giving Sarah back alive. And," he said, looking icily at the two teens, "Neither will we do that for you."

"What do you want from us?" Jim asked, his voice still surprisingly strong. "What did we do to you to ruin your plan?"

The man sighed. "Everything. Your girlfriend ruined it. She wasn't supposed to be involved. We warned you. But you didn't listen. She proved the Hokaidos were innocent, she put the cops on our trail. She's the reason all of those officers are out there today. So of course she's not getting out alive."

A chill ran down Trixie's spine as everything fell into place. "You called us all here not to catch you or deliver the ransom, but because you knew that I'd make Sergeant Molinson take us. You just wanted to get me and Jim and Honey."

The man grinned at her. "Right you are. And now I can take my revenge. And Jim here gets to watch."

Both teens watched, frightened, as he walked over to a black bag that was in the corner, and brought out a folded package. He opened it up, and Trixie and Jim inhaled deeply when they saw the lines of wickedly sharp knives, some curved, some straight. They were all small, but the tips shined menacingly.

Trixie's breaths were shallow. She needed to stall. "At least tell us your name," she said weakly.

The man looked at her with mock sympathy. "Sorry, Trixie." She shuddered as he said her name. "I'm not giving you anything to use against me. All you'll know as you die is the fact that nobody knew about me except you two. And that's not about to change."

He walked leisurely towards Trixie, and Jim's heart was pounding in his chest as he struggled against the knots. No way was that man going to touch Trixie.

"Why did you leave the syringes in our game reserve if you didn't want Trixie involved?" Jim asked, struggling to come up with more questions to stall the man.

Their kidnapper rolled his eyes, as if Jim was a fly buzzing around, distracting him from his task. "We knew one of you kids would find it. That was the only safe place we could put it where someone would be sure to find it without it getting ruined. And it you didn't find it, all the better. It would shatter you all if you found the box months or years after the crime was committed."

Jim shook his head in disgust.

"No more delaying this," the man said, now by Trixie's chair. He placed his knives on a stool a little ways away.

His fingers passed over the knives tauntingly, and he stroked his chin before selected a curved one.

Jim watched, dumbfounded, his voice stuck in his throat as the man stood behind her and held her chin in place, putting the knife carefully to her neck.

"Don't move," the man whispered into her ear, his breath rancid. Trixie wanted to vomit from all the nausea. For once, she couldn't help thinking that this was the end. That this might be it. She'd never get to say good bye. Not to Bobby, or Honey, or to her parents or the rest of the Bob-Whites. Never before had she felt this helpless. She's always wondered what it would be like to die. She'd never dreamed it would be with curved, wicked knives, bound while poor Jim had to watch her.

Jim. Oh, Jim. Her heart ached as she looked ahead at him, and saw his big green eyes staring back at her. She just wanted to hold him one more time. To talk to him. To say one more thing. But the knife pressed to her throat made her unable to speak. She was scared to utter a single word, or she knew the knife would pass through her skin.

The man seemed to notice her eyes focussed on the boy in front of them. He smiled cruelly. "Aw. Poor baby," he whispered into her ear. "Don't get to say bye to your boyfriend?"

His eyes flicked towards Jim. "Say your last words, Frayne. She's gone."

Jim watched numbly. The only thing that managed to come out from his dry throat was a small, barely audible word. "Trixie," he said, unable to say anything else as he looked ahead in horror, and saw the terrified girl that he cared so much about, unable to help as she was going to die. His worst nightmare come true.

The man chuckled. "That's all you get, Belden. Say your final prayers."

He pushed the knife in harder, and it punctured the skin. Trixie gasped. It pricked a little, the pain getting steadier. The blade was so sharp. He put it in deeper, and Trixie gritted her teeth, a single tear falling down her cheek. He trailed the knife down her neck, leaving a trail of red. It stung, and Trixie could feel the blood dripping down her neck. She saw white. It hurt so badly. The cut was deep, that she knew.

Jim watched, his voice stuck in his mouth. Once the knife trailed down her neck, and Jim saw the tear, it snapped him out of his numbness.

"Stop," he cried out. "Please. Just stop hurting her." His voice was hollow.

The man looked sympathetically at him. Then he grinned and, quick as a flash, sliced another jagged cut across her neck.

Trixie yelped in pain, tears streaming down her face.

Jim cried out once more. "Please," he said, his voice raw. "I'll do anything. Stop hurting her. Hurt me instead. Just stop." He pleaded, looking helplessly as the blood trickled down Trixie's neck.

The man raised an eyebrow, turning his attention to Jim. "Hurt you instead, huh?" He grinned wickedly and picked up his knives, walking over to Jim in one fluid stride. Trixie managed a little squeak of protest as the man, quick as lightning, held a different knife up to Jim's neck. Jim's heart was beating wildly. "Be careful what you wish for, Jim." He grinned, looking across the room at Trixie. "Guess what, Belden?" he called. "You get to watch Jim die first."

Another tear fell down her cheek.

Jim's throat burned, but he promised himself that he wouldn't cry. He'd stay strong for Trixie. Until the end.

The knife sliced down his neck up to his collarbone, clean and deep, and Jim gritted his teeth.

"Jim," Trixie said, her voice hoarse. The knife slashed again, a little line on top of the line, forming a jagged _T_.

Jim tried not to cry out.

"Jim!" Trixie cried out, her voice louder. She didn't care about the blood streaming down her neck at the moment. Didn't notice her weakening or the blood she was losing. All she saw was Jim, and the cuts going down his neck.

The man grinned at Trixie before taking a longer knife and trailing it tauntingly down Jim's face, the blunt of the blade brushing his skin.

"Jim!" Trixie called out once more, her voice raw and coarse this time louder than ever. She didn't know that the latest knife hadn't cut his skin. Her vision was too fuzzy.

Suddenly, it was either her imagination, or she heard voices outside the room.

Jim's eyes widened, and the kidnapper's eyes narrowed.

He gave Trixie a look of anger. "I should have just killed you, Belden. Now you're going to pay."

He took his long knife and crossed the room to where Trixie was. He was just about to slice across her neck when the door flew open, and Sergeant Molinson and three other officers held guns to his head, coming closer and ordering him to back away.

That was all Trixie heard before she floated away.

* * *

After that, everything was a blur. Jim was on the brink of losing consciousness too. All he knew was that he, Trixie, and Sarah as well were rushed to the hospital. He heard bits and pieces of things. He knew Honey was all right. He knew that both their kidnapper, who he still didn't know a name for, and Darren were cuffed and locked up. They were both caught in the act. Sarah wasn't in terrible condition, just a few cuts. The last thing he heard before he blanked out on the hospital bed was that he and Trixie were going to be alright. And that, he thought, was all that mattered.


	50. Love and The End

_LAST CHAPTER._ :(

First of all, I'd like to that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU who read my story. You're the reason I get up in the morning, and I'm going to miss you all so much. I want to thank every single reviewer. Every single one. I might even make a list.

-Tabbykatroses - for your dedicated, witty reviews that I always look forward to.

-Amybf19 - for your wonderful, wonderful support

-JimTrix (guest) - for your dedication, and for always reminding me to update, as if I could forget

-daisyxduck - for your wonderful dedication and reviews that I love

_-_ fiona glenanne - for your wonderful suggestions

_- _Grandma Cindy

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'Bet you've never seen that before. :) Love you all, Ayisha out.

* * *

_Two Weeks later…_

Everything that had happened the last couple of weeks was a blur. After Jim and Trixie spent a few days in the hospital, getting stitches, getting stitches removed, healing up and such, everyone finally learnt about what had happened. The two men, their kidnapper being Justin Gaya, were going to court. Darren had confessed to everything, including Justin's role in both crimes. Sergeant Molinson had briefed the group on everything. Jim and Trixie told the group what they had learnt from Justin, and both of them were still quite shaken up.

Apparently, poisoning Glen Road had been Justin's idea to try and deter Trixie away. Obviously, it hadn't worked. They had planned on continuing their plan from four years ago, this time in Sleepyside. They were, instead of poisoning meat, going to poison the Hokaidos' produce, so the brothers would be framed. Everyone was shocked over hearing the final details, which everyone now finally knew.

The last two weeks, they group had been resting and healing. Everyone was putting their last efforts to try and put everything back to normal. As normal as possible, that is.

Yesterday was monumental for a few reasons, and the entire group celebrated with a dinner. One reason was that Peter Belden had officially gone back to work, and so had Tom, Celia, and Matthew Wheeler.

The doctors had also proclaimed that Jim and Trixie were healed enough to go on with their daily lives. But that didn't mean that the all the cuts were fully healed. There were still scars. And not just on their necks.

That afternoon, the couple just wanted to be alone. They hadn't gotten to talk at all the last few weeks, and that's what they wanted to do.

And so they sat on the grass by the lake, legs dangling over the water. Trixie had her head in Jim's shoulder, and they both watched the water move gently, hearing it lapping against the docks, the sky blue and clear.

Jim kept his eyes on Trixie. He watched her expression, which turned cloudy. She was frowning, her eye brows furrowed with worry, and Jim could guess what she was thinking about. He nudged her head up gently. "What's bothering you, Shamus?"

She looked up at him sadly, shaking her head. "I was just thinking about… it." Jim didn't need to ask what she meant. Everyone knew what _it_ was.

"Anything in particular?" he asked quietly, as her fingers hesitantly stroked the scar on his neck. It was a _T_, which Trixie thought was so sad. Justin had branded him with her initial.

She shook her head, swallowing. Then, much to his surprise, she buried her head in the crook of his neck, her voice shaking. "You came so close to dying, Jim," she whispered hoarsely.

His hand went up to her curls, holding her to him. "It's okay," he whispered. "I'm okay now. You are too."

She shook her head slightly, pulling away enough to look at him. "But you almost died for me, Jim. I was about to, and then you stopped him, and then…" her voice cracked, her eyes watering. She blinked back tears.

Jim rested his forehead against hers. "I'd do it again, Trix. I'm not going to let you die."

Trixie shook her head, her arms holding him to her. "But that's the thing," she said, meeting his eyes. "I don't want that. Promise me you won't do that again."

Jim looked at her helplessly. "Trix, I can't—"

"Promise me," she repeated, looking at him sadly.

Jim could see she meant it. He sighed. "I can't Trix," he said finally.

Trixie placed her head in his neck, his arms holding onto her tightly. They sat there for a little while, neither of them moving.

Finally, Trixie moved her head to touch his, holding his face with her hands and looking his in the eyes. "Jim," she said quietly.

"Mhm?" he asked, his eye lashes brushing her cheeks.

She looked away from him, keeping her forehead against his. "When I was… When you were about to die, and I was too, I—I promised myself that if we made it out alive, I'd tell you…"

"Tell me what?" he asked, almost inaudibly.

Her eyes met his again. "I—I love you, Jim." Her hands fell away from his face as she stared into the pools of green, which stared back at her, so many emotions swirling around them.

He shook his head, his voice cracked as he spoke. "I love you too, Trix. More than anything else."

She managed a small smile before her arms twined around his neck and their lips met, gently and softly. Then, Trixie made it more forceful, pushing Jim back until he was lying on his back and she was sprawled on top of him, her hands on either side of his face, his arms around her waist. And they stayed like that, lips moving against each other, for a long, long time.

Dan was on his way back from the clubhouse when he passed the lake. He saw the couple sprawled on the grass, lips locked against each other lovingly, and sighed. For once, he didn't grin mischievously. In fact, he looked at them fondly, tiredly, sadly, almost like a parent, and maybe even a little bit proud, too. And, this time, he did something different. He knew that if Regan knew what he did, he'd never hear the end of it. He knew that he'd also probably kick himself in the future for the missed opportunity, but he did it anyway. He walked away. And, it pays to say, that he didn't look back.

THE END


End file.
